Advantages of Employee Wellness Plans
Advantages of Employee Wellness Programs: Easy to Find
Employer’s are learning that Employee Wellness Plans is an effective way to increase productivity, improve employee health, decrease 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 organizations to incorporate Employee Wellness Plans as part of their business strategy. The report asserts that chronic diseases which are largely preventable place a heavy toll on company, 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 recently published 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 testing and “especially” tobacco use. A well-designed Employee Wellness Plans initiative serves the best interests of employees and organizations alike.
Advantages of Wellness Progams: Return On Investment (ROI)
Ron Goetzel, a nationally recognized expert in the field of health management, data analysis and applied research, said in a recently published interview that with an investment of $100 to $150 per employee per year in Employee Wellness Programs, an employer can expect an average return on investment (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 Employee 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 individuals after they get sick, rather than a ‘health care’ system which focuses on keeping healthy individuals 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 organizations that offer comprehensive programs to promote employee health and grants for small company.
Advantages of Wellness Progams: Getting Started
Implementing a Employee Wellness Plans can be accomplished with simple, low-cost strategies.
• Provide incentives for participation.
• Begin a wellness informational campaign.
• Schedule wellness seminars on diabetes, nutrition, physical fitness and cholesterol.
• Begin programs 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 snack machine options to offer healthier, low-fat snacks and drinks.
• Actively promote employee participation in all Employee Wellness Programs.
A successful Employer Health and Wellness Program can boost company morale, enhance productivity, reduce organizational conflict, attract superior workers and decrease the rate of employee turnover. The case for starting a Employer Health and Wellness Program is well worth the effort.
