Company Wellness Programs

Corporate Exercise Plans Improve Employee Wellness

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

Benefits of Wellness Programs

• A corporation investment of $100-$150 per worker each year to take part 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 Health Promotion Councils of America reported a $24 return for every $1 spent on a corporation wellness program for small companies.

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

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

Company leaders should make certain employees are well aware about their wellness efforts, posting weight reduction results or tobacco use cessation results on organization intranet or bulletin boards for everyone to see.

Employee Wellness Programs that Really Work

• Be sure to encourage staff members to kick begin their own health promotion 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, tobacco use, alcoholism and drug abuse must be at the forefront of an worker wellness program, along with related conditions.

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

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

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

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

Company Wellness Programs Yield Big Results

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

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

The number of staff 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 corporation 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 worker health promotion program success stories.