Wellness Program Incentives

Corporation Physical Activity Programs Plans Improve Employee Health and Wellness

Instituting a Corporate Health Promotion Program improves the health of employees, lowers employee absenteeism and saves the employer money, too. Learn more about starting an Corporate Health Promotion Program in the office.

Benefits of Corporate Health Promotion Programs

• A employer expenditure of $100-$150 per employee each year to participate in an Workplace Health Promotion Program can save corporations $300 to $450 for each employee every year, according to Ron Goetzel, Director, Cornell University Institute for Health and Productivity Studies. The savings are able to take a few years to actualize, says Goetzel, and are seen in decreased health expenditures.
• The Wellness Councils of America stated a $24 return for every $1 spent on a Corporate Wellness Program for small employers.
• According to a 2005 survey by The Art of Health Promotion, companies who adopted Corporate Health Promotion Programs realized a 30 percent reduction in medical and absenteeism costs in less than 4 years.

A efficacious Employee Wellness Program begins with Senior Management. Company owners must lead by example, taking part in their corporation’s exercise program and working closely with a wellness coach. Senior Management must make sure workers are well knowledgeable about their wellness efforts, displaying weight loss results or smoking cessation results on corporation intranet or bulletin boards for everyone to see.

Company Wellness Programs that Really Work

• Urge staff members to kick start their own wellness programs by visiting their doctor. A complete physical must include information about blood glucose, cholesterol levels and general health.
• Target specific health-related problems in a corporate physical activity program. Information about how to fight obesity, smoking, alcoholism and prescription drug abuse should be at the forefront of an Workplace Wellness Program, along with related conditions.
• Hire a wellness coach to instruct staff members on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
• Reward staff members for participating in company wellness plans. Let staff members accrue wellbeing and health points that they have the potential to redeem for prizes. Make the prizes healthy, too- a free massage, personal training session with the company’s wellness coach or health meal gift certificate encourages even healthier lifestyle choices.
• Acknowledge employee wellness and health leaders in company newsletters, in posted bulletins and on the company intranet.

Worksite Health Promotion Programs Provide Big Results

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

Ron Goetzel encourages those looking to pitch a corporate physical activity program to Upper Management to use basic facts about the advantages of Company Wellness Programs as part of their argument. Keep it simple, and share results from other company’s employee wellness plan success stories.