It’s no secret that employees make up the organizational DNA of a company, creating the corporate culture. In great measure, workers’ physical, mental and emotional health goes hand in hand with the companies’ financial health that employs them. Long the subject of study, research shows that employee wellness programs can deliver significant value for employees and their employers. In fact, many experts view them as a “win-win” investment that accrues value to both a company’s bottom line and to a well-rounded, competitive employee benefits package.
Originally begun after World War II as fitness centers for upper management executives, today’s corporate wellness programs are inclusive, with activities geared to employees at all company levels. Beyond fitness, offerings can run the gamut from weight management (for improved health) to personal financial management (for stress reduction).
As a business owner, here’s what you need to know if you’re thinking about a company wellness initiative:
How Do the Best Wellness Programs Help Business?
The return on an investment in your employees’ wellness can be high, especially in reducing employer-provided health care costs when programs focus on health and disease management. Here’s how a well-designed program can favorably affect your business and its annual financial statement:
- Lowered workers’ compensation and disability-related costs
- Heightened employee productivity
- Reduced absenteeism and on-the-job injuries
- Improved morale, commitment, and retention
- Increased employee engagement and camaraderie
What Should a Wellness Program Include?
The best wellness programs match your employees’ expressed needs and interests as well as your company’s resources. Programs can be expansive or straightforward, and although there’s broad latitude in designing your program, common wellness activities include:
- Smoking cessation
- Fitness and exercise (walking groups, Zumba, Tai Chi)
- Health screenings, risk assessments, vaccination clinics
- Nutrition education
- Weight loss
- Meditation and stress reduction
How Is a Wellness Program Developed and Launched?
There are several basic steps to ensure a wellness program serves both your employees and your business. These can become a springboard to further develop and refine your program:
- Set mutually beneficial program goals within your designated budget.
- With the support of supervisors, put together a wellness committee. Recruit interested members from all company levels and functional areas.
- Do your research. Collect data that point to areas of employee interest by conducting internal surveys, questionnaires, or informal meetings.
- Develop a plan. Use employee feedback to establish program goals and the activities best suited to meet them. Require periodic evaluation of wellness activities to ensure your investment is money well spent.
- Publicize the program in company print and digital media.
- Take the lead by personally emphasizing the importance of wellness and hosting the wellness program’s kick-off and special events.
- Monitor feedback to fine-tune activities and maximize the program’s benefits.
What’s the Takeaway on Wellness Programs?
Employees and employers alike benefit from a supportive environment, with the best wellness programs providing significant financial returns and recruitment advantages for their companies. In short, a wellness initiative can drive heightened performance, productivity, and profit, making it a program worth considering.
About Haughn & Associates
Founded by Michael Haughn in 1986, Haughn & Associates is a full-service, family-owned, independent insurance agency based out of Dublin, Ohio. H&A strives to provide the best possible price and unique insurance solutions across a myriad of industries, including construction, IT, Habitation & Commercial Property, Agriculture, and Engineering. Devoted to providing the best of business insurance, life and disability insurance, personal insurance, employee benefits, and bonds, H&A is proof that success lies in long-standing client relations and satisfaction. To learn more about how H&A can be of service to you, contact us at (877) 802-2278.
