Employee health, mental well-being and engagement are essential to maintaining productivity and business profitability.
However, when resources and budgets are tight, business leaders may ask, “Why should companies offer wellness programs?”
It’s important to remember that healthy transformation across a company takes time and investment. Since improving the health and well-being of your workforce won’t happen overnight, an employee wellness program may not pay for itself immediately.
That is why company leaders should consider value on investment (VOI) rather than return on investment (ROI) when measuring a wellness program’s impact.
While ROI measures the direct financial gains of an investment, VOI measures indirect gains.
The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports 75 percent of employers understand that looking at VOI provides a more holistic view of the positive impact to organizations.1
Comprehensive corporate wellness programs enhance employee morale, company culture, productivity and retention. Wellness programs often have high VOIs because they increase employee satisfaction and foster healthy habits in employees, enabling a sense of total well-being.
Other VOIs a company may see when offering wellness programs include:
Create a culture of wellness
A company culture that prioritizes the health and well-being of employees is imperative in a modern workplace.
Offering a corporate wellness program demonstrates that your organization is health-conscious and willing to adjust your benefits to meet your employees’ changing needs. In a multi-generational workforce, embracing health and wellness trends shows genuine concern for your employees.2
Manage and prevent chronic disease
According to the CDC, chronic disease accounts for 86 percent of healthcare spending.3 More than 50 percent of Americans now have at least one chronic disease.4
Many costs associated with chronic disease are avoidable with simple lifestyle changes. Since most adults spend the majority of hours at their jobs, a very effective way to impact positive changes is to establish a workplace wellness program.
The key is to identify the highest health risk areas in your organization. Then leverage your wellness program to customize intervention initiatives, education, wellness activities, incentives and regular health screenings to address the areas of concern.
Reducing absenteeism
Most organizations experience the negative effects of absenteeism. The U.S. Dept. of Labor estimates that on any given day, three percent of an employer’s workforce is absent. That number represents about 21 percent of total payroll each year. The effect is even greater when including lost productivity, decreased morale and temporary labor costs.5
But a corporate wellness program helps team members focus on healthy habits that boost immunity and reduce sick days.
Encouraging teamwork
Health and well-being programs can be designed to give your associates a sense of community. Your employee wellness program can include team events, fitness challenges, lunch and learns, virtual volunteering activities, etc. These wellness programs encourage associates to develop bonds and friendship, giving them more practice at working together to solve problems.
To learn how wellness programs can increase employee productivity, engagement, recruitment and retention as well as lower healthcare costs, take a look at a related article, “How do wellness programs benefit companies?”
If you’re ready to talk about launching a corporate health and well-being program, contact your Humana sales rep or request more information about Go365’s wellness program by filling out this formOpens in new window.
Sources:
1 Susan Milligan, “Employers Take Wellness to a Higher Level,” SHRM, last accessed December 7, 2020.
https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/0917/pages/employers-take-wellness-to-a-higher-level.aspxOpens in new window
2 Andrea Herron, “For young professionals, wellness programs are a must,” BenefitsPro, last accessed December 20, 2020.
https://www.benefitspro.com/2019/09/30/for-younger-professionals-wellness-programs-are-a-must/?slreturn=20201122125118Opens in new window
3 Health and Economic Costs of Chronic Disease, CDC, last accessed December 7, 2020.
https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/about/costs/index.htmOpens in new window
4 “More than 50% of Americans now have at least one chronic health condition,” Science Daily, last accessed December 7, 2020.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161025092655.htmOpens in new window
5 “Managing Employee Attendance,” SHRM, last accessed December 7, 2020.
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/managingemployeeattendance.aspxOpens in new window
Avni Kaul, “Benefits of Corporate Wellness Program,” Entrepreneur, last accessed December 7, 2020.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/347207Opens in new window
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