Over the past year, employers across the state have become more committed to implementing easily adaptable, incentive-based, employee-driven wellness programs to improve employee health and office morale, and increase health insurance savings, among other things.
As an employer, have you considered offering incentives for employees who get or stay healthy? Monetary or other types of incentives are big motivators for employees who exercise regularly, eat healthfully or participate in stop smoking programs, for example. Wellness programs are also great ways to build teamwork within your organization. Further, having healthy employees can make a real impact on your bottom line.
Wellness research indicates that employer health promotion programs can be directly linked to improved productivity, less absenteeism, greater health knowledge, better health behaviors and a reduction in chronic health conditions. In fact, research shows that for every dollar invested in worksite health promotion, there is a medical cost savings of $3.48 and an absenteeism cost savings of as much as $5.82. Healthy employees offer companies a competitive advantage, with increased retention and lower medical costs.
Incorporating these efforts into your business and taking advantage of the benefits starts at the top. Senior executives must set an example, attend wellness functions and demonstrate involvement in other ways. The support of leadership demonstrates to employees that wellness is a high priority for your organization. It also helps to add a little incentive: consider giveaways for those that attend wellness functions and achieve stated goals, as even moderate incentives have been shown to greatly improve participation.
Encouraging employees to take part in a health assessment will help identify the most significant health issues for your organization, and enable you to develop long-range plans to address those issues. And, by setting attainable and measurable goals, it becomes enjoyable for employees to measure their success.
By using all available resources, your employees and your business may have a healthier 2011.
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Sue, I couldn't agree more. Employers have an opportunity to have an effect on the health of their employees. They just have to take the next step and take action on implementing some positive changes. There are many options out there and I'm working on putting a program together that could be a home run for many companies. Great post!
ReplyDelete"In fact, research shows that for every dollar invested in worksite health promotion, there is a medical cost savings of $3.48 and an absenteeism cost savings of as much as $5.82."
ReplyDeleteInteresting. How much does UHG spend on it's own Wellness Programs? it was $0 in 2010, and thus far not budgeted for 2011.