Wellness Programs.

Corporate Fitness Plans Improve Staff Member Wellness

Instituting a wellness program improves the health of employees, decreases staff member absenteeism and saves the business money, too. Learn more about beginning an staff member wellness program in the office.

Advantages of Wellness Programs

• A corporation investment of $100-$150 per worker annually to participate in an worker wellness program can save companies $300 to $450 for each worker every year, according to Ron Goetzel, Director, Cornell Univ. Institute for Health and Productivity Studies.

The savings can take several years to actualize, says Goetzel, and are seen in lowered health expenditures.

• the Wellness Councils of America reported a $24 return for every $1 spent on a company wellness program for small corporations.

• As reported by a 2005 survey by the Art of Wellness, corporations who instituted employee wellness programs realized a 30% reduction in medical and absenteeism costs in less than four years.

A successful wellness program begins with company leaders. Company owners ought to lead by example, taking part in their corporation’s corporate fitness program and working closely with a wellness coach.

Business leaders should be certain staff members are well aware of their wellness efforts, posting weight loss results or tobacco use cessation results on business intranet or bulletin boards for everyone to see.

Staff Member Wellness Programs that Really Work

• Be certain to encourage staff members to kick begin their own wellness programs by visiting their doctor. A complete physical should include information about blood sugar, cholesterol levels and general health.

• Target specific health-related concerns in a corporate fitness program. Information about how to fight obesity, use of tobacco, alcoholism and drug abuse ought to be at the forefront of an staff member wellness program, along with related conditions.

• Hire a wellness coach to instruct employees on how to lead a healthful lifestyle.

• Reward staff members for participating in company wellness programs. Let staff members accrue wellness points that they can redeem for prizes.

Make the prizes healthful, too- a free massage, private training session with the corporation’s wellness coach or health food gift certificate encourages even healthier lifestyle options.

• Acknowledge worker wellness leaders in company newsletters, in posted bulletins and on the company intranet.

Corporation Wellness Programs Yield Big Results

For company owners who want to raise employee participation in a company wellness program, consider Johnson and Johnson’s approach.

Faced with only 26% of workers participating in their staff member wellness program, Johnson and Johnson offered workers a $500 discount on health insurance costs if they completed a health risk profile.

The number of workers participating in the Johnson and Johnson corporate fitness program jumped after they offered the incentive — to more than 93 percent.

Ron Goetzel encourages those looking to pitch a corporate fitness program to business leaders to use basic facts about the benefits of worker wellness programs as part of their argument.

Keep it simple, and share results from other corporation’s employee wellness program success stories.