Health Promotion Strategies

Corporate Fitness Programs Improve Worker Wellness

Instituting a wellness program improves the health of employees, reduces staff member absenteeism and saves the company money, too. Learn more about beginning an staff member wellness program in the office.

Advantages of Wellness Programs

• A business investment of $100-$150 per staff member each year to participate in an staff member wellness program can save businesses $300 to $450 for each staff member every year, as reported by Ron Goetzel, Director, Cornell University Institute for Health and Productivity Studies.

The savings can take several years to actualize, says Goetzel, and are seen in decreased health expenditures.

• the Wellness Councils of America announced a $24 return for every $1 spent on a corporation wellness program for small corporations.

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

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

Company leaders should be sure workers are well aware of their wellness efforts, posting weight loss results or tobacco use cessation results on business intranet or bulletin boards for everyone to see.

Employee Wellness Programs that Really Work

• Be sure to encourage employees to kick start their own wellness programs by visiting their physician. A complete physical ought to 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, use of tobacco, alcoholism and drug abuse should be at the forefront of an staff member wellness program, along with related conditions.

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

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

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

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

Business Wellness Programs Yield Big Results

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

Faced with only 26 percent of employees participating in their employee wellness program, Johnson and Johnson offered employees a $500 discount on medical insurance costs when they completed a health risk profile.

The number of employees 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 company leaders to use basic facts about the benefits of employee wellness programs as part of their argument.

Keep it simple, and share results from other corporation’s employee wellness program success stories.