Wellness Programs.

Corporate Fitness Programs Improve Worker Wellness

Instituting a wellness program improves the health of workers, lowers staff member absenteeism and saves the corporation money, too. Learn more about starting an staff member wellness program in the office.

Advantages of Wellness Programs

• A company investment of $100-$150 per worker each year to participate in an worker wellness program can save businesses $300 to $450 for each worker every year, as reported by Ron Goetzel, Director, Cornell University Institute for Health and Productivity Studies.

The savings can 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 business wellness program for small businesses.

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

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

Corporation leaders should be certain staff members are well aware of their wellness efforts, posting weight loss results or smoking cessation results on company intranet or bulletin boards for everybody to see.

Employee Wellness Programs that Really Work

• Be sure to encourage staff members to kick begin 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 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 worker wellness program, along with related conditions.

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

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

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

• Acknowledge employee wellness leaders in corporation newsletters, in posted bulletins and on the corporation intranet.

Business Wellness Programs Yield Big Results

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

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

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

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

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