Health and Wellness Leads : Workplace Wellness Programs

Organization Fitness Programs Plans Improve Employee Health and Wellness

Instituting a Corporate Wellness Program improves the health of staff members, lowers employee absenteeism and saves the corporation money, too. Learn more about starting an Corporate Wellness Program in the office.

Benefits of Worksite Wellness Programs

• A organization investment of $100-$150 per employee each year to participate in an Worksite Wellness Program can save businesses $300 to $450 for each employee every year, according to Ron Goetzel, Director, Cornell University Institute for Health and Productivity Studies. The savings have the potential to take a few years to actualize, says Goetzel, and are seen in reduced health expenditures.
• The Wellness Councils of America reported a $24 return for every $1 spent on a Corporate Wellness Program for small organizations.
• According to a 2005 survey by The Art of Health Promotion, corporations who instituted Company Health Promotion Programs realized a 30 percent decrease in healthcare and absenteeism costs in less than four years.

A efficacious Worksite Wellness Program starts with Upper Management. Employer owners ought to lead by example, taking part in their corporation’s physical activity program and working closely with a wellness coach. Upper Management ought to make sure employees are well alert to their wellness efforts, displaying weight loss results or tobacco cessation results on corporation intranet or bulletin boards for everyone to see.

Workplace Health Promotion Programs that Really Work

• Encourage employees to kick start their own wellness programs by visiting their doctor. A complete physical ought to include information about blood sugar, cholesterol levels and general health.
• Target specific health-related issues in a corporate fitness program. Information about how to fight obesity, smoking, alcoholism and prescription drug abuse must be at the forefront of an Company Wellness Program, along with related conditions.
• Hire a wellness coach to instruct staff members on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
• Reward employees for being active in company wellness plans. Let employees accrue health & wellness points that they have the potential to redeem for prizes. Make the prizes healthy, too- a no cost massage, private training session with the company’s wellness coach or health food gift certificate encourages even healthier lifestyle choices.
• Acknowledge employee health & wellness leaders in employer newsletters, in posted bulletins and on the employer intranet.

Corporate Wellness Programs Give Big Results

For organization owners who want to increase employee participation in a Corporate Wellness Program, consider Johnson & Johnson’s approach. Faced with only 26% of staff members participating in their employee health & wellness program, Johnson & Johnson offered staff members a $500 discount on medical insurance expenditures if they completed a health risk profile. The number of staff members participating in the Johnson & Johnson organization exercise program jumped after they provided the incentive — to more than 93%.

Ron Goetzel encourages those looking to pitch a corporate physical activity program to Upper Management to use basic facts about the advantages of Corporate Wellness Programs as part of their argument. Keep it simple, and share results from other company’s employee wellness plan success stories.