Advantages of Workplace Wellness Programs

Workplace Wellness Programs are crucial to improving the health of our nations. The majority of adults spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, making it a excellent venue for promoting healthful habits. The worksite organizational culture and environment are powerful influences on behavior and this needs to be put to use as a method of assisting staff members to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Advantages to Workplace Wellness Programs include:
• Weight reduction
• Improved physical fitness
• Raised stamina
• Lower levels of stress
• Raised well-being, self-image and self-esteem

Employers can also benefit from Workplace Wellness Programs. According to recent research, employers’ benefits are:

• Improved recruitment and retention of healthy staff members
• Reduced health care costs
• Decreased rates of illness and injuries
• Reduced worker absenteeism
• Improved worker relations and morale
• Enhanced productivity

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report revealed that at worksites with physical activity programs as components of their Workplace Wellness Programs have:

• Reduced health care costs by 20 to 55 percent
• Reduced short-term sick leave by six to 32 percent
• Raised productivity by two to 52 percent

Thanks to modern medicine, life expectancy for Americans has continually improved. How much we enjoy these additional years, however, depends greatly on how we have lived our lives. If our quality of life is to remain high so that we can fully enjoy these extra years, we must practice good eating habits, be active and refrain from using tobacco products.