Wellness Library

Organization Exercise Programs Plans Improve Employee Health and Wellness

Instituting a Workplace Wellness Program improves the health of workers, decreases employee absenteeism and saves the corporation money, too. Learn more about starting an Workplace Wellness Program in the office.

Benefits of Workplace Wellness Programs

• A company cost of $100-$150 per employee each year to take part in an Employee Health Promotion Program can save businesses $300 to $450 for each employee every year, according to Ron Goetzel, Director, Cornell University Institute for Health and Productivity Studies. The savings have the potential to 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 Workplace Wellness Program for small businesses.
• According to a 2005 survey by The Art of Health Promotion, employers who instituted Corporate Wellness Programs realized a 30% decrease in healthcare and absenteeism costs in less than 4 years.

A efficacious Employee Health Promotion Program starts with Upper Management. Corporation owners should lead by example, taking part in their organization’s fitness program and working closely with a wellness coach. Upper Management should make sure staff members are well knowledgeable about their wellness efforts, displaying weight loss results or smoking cessation results on organization intranet or bulletin boards for everyone to see.

Company Wellness Programs that Truly Work

• Encourage staff members to kick start their own wellness programs by visiting their doctor. A complete physical should include information about blood glucose, cholesterol levels and general health.
• Target specific health-related problems in a corporate fitness program. Information about how to fight obesity, smoking, alcoholism and prescription abuse should be at the forefront of an Worksite Wellness Program, along with related conditions.
• Hire a wellness coach to instruct employees on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
• Reward employees for being active in organization wellness plans. Let employees accrue health and wellbeing points that they can redeem for prizes. Make the prizes healthy, too- a no cost massage, personal training session with the organization’s wellness coach or health food gift certificate encourages even healthier lifestyle choices.
• Acknowledge employee health & wellness leaders in business newsletters, in posted bulletins and on the business intranet.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Yield Big Results

For organization owners who want to broaden employee participation in a Workplace Wellness Program, consider Johnson & Johnson’s approach. Faced with only 26% of employees participating in their employee health & wellness program, Johnson & Johnson offered employees a $500 discount on health insurance costs if they completed a health risk profile. The number of employees participating in the Johnson & Johnson organization fitness program jumped after they provided the incentive — to more than 93%.

Ron Goetzel encourages those looking to pitch a corporate fitness program to Senior Leadership to use basic facts about the advantages of Employee Health Promotion Programs as part of their argument. Keep it simple, and share results from other company’s employee wellness plan success stories.