Advantages of Corporate Wellness Programs

Advantages of Corporate Wellness Programs: Easy to Find

Employer’s are learning that Corporate Wellness Programs is an effective way to increase productivity, improve employee health, lower healthcare 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 companies to incorporate Corporate Wellness Programs as part of their organization strategy. The report asserts that chronic diseases which are largely preventable place a heavy toll on organization, 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 Corporate Wellness Programs initiative serves the best interests of staff members and companies alike.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Return On Investment

Ron Goetzel, a nationally recognized expert in the field of health management, data assessment and applied research, said in a recent interview that with an investment of $100 to $150 per employee per year in Corporate Wellness Programs, an employer can expect an average ROI of approximately $3 for every $1
invested ($300 to $450 savings per employee per year).  Goetzel says, however, that these returns are not typically realized until two to three years into the Corporate 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 healthcare 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 companies that offer comprehensive programs to promote employee health and grants for small organization.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Getting Started

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

• Provide incentives for participation.
• Create a wellness informational campaign.
• Schedule wellness seminars on diabetes, nutrition, physical fitness and cholesterol.
• Create initiatives such as fitness, sleep diary, tobacco use cessation and injury prevention.
• Provide 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 employee participation in all Corporate Wellness Programs.

A successful Corporate Health Promotion Plan can boost organization morale, enhance productivity, reduce organizational conflict, attract superior workers and lower the rate of employee turnover. The case for starting a Corporate Health Promotion Plan is well worth the effort.