Benefits of Employee Wellness Programs

Benefits 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 healthcare costs and reduce rates of absence.

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

The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that $1.66 trillion was spent on healthcare 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 U.S. could be prevented through lifestyle changes in diet, physical fitness, cancer screening and “especially” tobacco use. A well-designed Employee Wellness Programs initiative serves the best interests of workers and employers alike.

Benefits of Wellness Progams: Return On Investment

Ron Goetzel, a nationally recognized expert in the science 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 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 realized until two to three years into the Employee Wellness Program.

Benefits of Wellness Progams: Tax Breaks

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has been an outspoken proponent in seeking legislative solutions for a strained healthcare 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 organizations that offer broad-based programs to promote worker health and grants for small company.

Benefits of Wellness Progams: Getting Started

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

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

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