Advantages of Workplace Wellness Programs

Advantages of Workplace Wellness Programs: Easy to Find

Employer’s are learning that Workplace 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 businesses to incorporate Workplace Wellness Programs as part of their company strategy. The report asserts that chronic diseases which are largely preventable place a heavy toll on company, including lower productivity and higher health insurance costs.

The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that $1.66 trillion was spent on medical 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 screening and “especially” tobacco use. A well-designed Workplace Wellness Programs initiative serves the best interests of staff members and businesses alike.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Return On Investment

Ron Goetzel, a nationally recognized expert in the science of health management, information assessment and applied research, said in a recent interview that with an investment of $100 to $150 per worker per year in Workplace Wellness Programs, an employer can expect an average return on investment 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 Workplace 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 businesses that offer comprehensive programs to promote worker health and grants for small company.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Getting Started

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

• Offer incentives for participation.
• Start a wellness informational campaign.
• Schedule wellness seminars on diabetes, nutrition, physical fitness and cholesterol.
• Start programs such as fitness, sleep diary, smoking 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 Workplace Wellness Programs.

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