Company Health and Wellness Programs: Advantages of Employee Wellness Programs

Advantages of Employee Wellness Programs: Easy to Find

Employer’s are learning that Employee Wellness Programs is an effective way to increase productivity,  improve worker health, decrease health care costs and reduce absenteeism.

A report published in 2003 by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)  highlighted how important it is for corporations to incorporate Employee Wellness Programs as part of  their organization strategy. The report asserts that chronic diseases which are largely preventable  place a heavy toll on employer, including lower productivity and higher medical insurance costs.

The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that $1.66 trillion was spent on health care in  2003 and it attributes a majority of those costs to chronic diseases and conditions such as heart  disease, diabetes, obesity and asthma. Sadly, the money allocated for preventing or controlling these  conditions is negligible.

In a recent article, American Cancer Society CEO John Seffrin reported two thirds of cancer deaths in  the United States could be prevented through lifestyle changes in diet, physical fitness, cancer  testing and “especially” tobacco use. A well-designed Employee Wellness Programs initiative serves the  best interests of employees and corporations alike.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Return On Investment (ROI)

Ron Goetzel, a nationally recognized expert in the field of health management, data analysis and  applied research, said in a recent interview that with an investment of $100 to $150 per worker per  year in Employee Wellness Programs, an employer can expect an average return on investment (ROI) of  approximately $3 for every $1
invested ($300 to $450 savings per worker per year).  Goetzel says, however, that these returns are not  typically found until two to three years into the Employee Wellness Program.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Tax Breaks

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has been an outspoken proponent in seeking legislative solutions for a  strained health care system.

“As a nation, we have a ‘sick care’ system that is focused on helping staff members after they get  sick, rather than a ‘health care’ system which focuses on keeping healthy staff members healthy,” he  says.

Harkin introduced the Healthy Lifestyle and Prevention (HeLP) America Act of 2004. One of the  initiatives under Title II – Healthier Communities and Workplaces, provides tax credits to corporations  that offer comprehensive programs to promote worker health and grants for small employer.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Getting Started

Implementing a Employee Wellness Programs can be accomplished with simple, low-cost strategies.

• Provide incentives for participation.
• Establish a wellness informational campaign.
• Schedule wellness seminars on diabetes, nutrition, physical fitness and cholesterol.
• Establish initiatives such as fitness, sleep diary, tobacco use cessation and injury prevention.
• Provide onsite chair massages or simple stretching exercises to do at the desk.
• Alter vending machine options to offer healthier, low-fat snacks and drinks.
• Actively promote worker participation in all Employee Wellness Programs.

A successful Company Health and Wellness Program can boost employer morale, enhance productivity,  reduce organizational conflict, attract superior workers and decrease the rate of worker turnover. The  case for establishing a Company Health and Wellness Program is well worth the effort.