Wellness Program Incentives

Major benefits of healthy staff members include:

• Decreased Medical Care costs
• Reduced Injuries
• Lowered Absenteeism
• Boosted Morale and Loyalty
• Increased Productivity
• Lowered Use of Medical Care Benefits
• Diminished Workers’ Comp/Disability
• Positive Perception in Community
• Reduced Turnover
• Better recruitment for competent employee

What is NOT Having a Company Wellness Program Costing Your Employer?  

Consider the health risk factors that are exacerbating chronic diseases for adults:

• 59% of adults are overweight or obese
• Greater than 60% of Americans do not exercise regularly
• More than 75 percent of Americans do not eat the minimum recommendations for fruits and vegetables
• Heart disease is the leading common cause of death and the # 1 cause of death in smokers
• 26% of employees stated they were often or very often burned out or stressed by their occupation  

Medical Care expenditures are Growing:  Medical Care costs are at a record figure of $1.7 trillion with no signs of leveling out, let alone going down.  The average cost of annual medical spending is over $5,000 per person and including dependents almost $10,000.  Recent data shows that medical related expenditures now cost North Carolina companies thousands of dollars per employee, per year.

Most Illnesses Can Be Prevented:  Although it sounds unrealistic, experts indicate that preventable illness makes up 60 percent – 70 percent of the entire burden of illness in the U.S..   In North Carolina, it is estimated that more than 53 percent of all deaths are preventable, and that 2/3 of all preventable deaths are due to tobacco use, a sedentary lifestyle, and poor nutrition.

Stress Levels are Rising:  As employer resources diminish and employers adopt leaner work practices, the effects of absenteeism and productivity lost have an increased influence.  In a new national poll, 78 percent of the population described their jobs as stressful, and most felt that stress levels have increased over The last ten years.  In addition, high levels of employer stress are able to adversely affect a employer by rising injuries, absenteeism, and health care expenditures while decreasing work rate.  Simple solutions such as stress management education, flexible work schedules, quality social interaction, and increased participation in employer decision-making are able to improve stress levels in the workplace.

What is the Initial Cost and Time Investment for a Worksite Wellness Program?

The expenditure is dependent upon the type of Worksite Wellness Program implemented.  There are several options to promote employee health with advantages and disadvantages of each.  The program design is dependent upon the goals and objectives of the wellness program, the organization resources, and the neighborhood resources available.  

Enhancing dietary practices, expanding physical exercise levels, managing stress or addressing work life balance issues, and lowering/eliminating tobacco use, are primary strategies for preventing many of the most common avoidable chronic diseases. The possibilities of how your corporation addresses these issues are endless and can range from expanding employee awareness, which may include purchasing a few handouts on a variety of topics, and measuring walking distances around your facility, to instituting corporation reinforcement such as funding a full-time occupational health consultant or building an onsite fitness center.  

When well-planned and based on your objectives and goals, any of these programs are able to help you succeed.  Refer below to Corporate Wellness Program Design Options for additional ideas.