Posted by Health Handouts | Posted in Health Handouts, Health Tips | Posted on 22-07-2009
Employer Exercise Programs Plans Improve Employee Health and Wellness
Instituting a Company Health Promotion Program improves the health of workers, decreases employee absenteeism and saves the corporation money, too. Learn more about starting an Company Health Promotion Program in the office.
Benefits of Company Wellness Programs
• A business investment of $100-$150 per employee each year to take part in an Workplace Health Promotion Program can save businesses $300 to $450 for each employee every year, according to Ron Goetzel, Director, Cornell University Institute for Health and Productivity Studies. The savings can take a few years to actualize, says Goetzel, and are seen in reduced health expenditures.
• The Wellness Councils of America reported a $24 return for every $1 invested on a Employee Health Promotion Program for small organizations.
• According to a 2005 survey by The Art of Health Promotion, companies who instituted Company Health Promotion Programs realized a 30% decline in medical and absenteeism expenditures in less than four years.
A efficacious Company Wellness Program begins with Senior Leadership. Employer owners ought to lead by example, taking part in their organization’s physical activity program and working closely with a wellness coach. Senior Leadership ought to make sure workers are well aware of their wellness efforts, displaying weight loss results or smoking cessation results on organization intranet or bulletin boards for everyone to see.
Worksite Wellness Programs that Truly Work
• Encourage employees to kick start their own wellness programs by visiting their doctor. A complete physical should include information about blood sugar, blood lipids levels and general health.
• Target specific health-related problems in a corporate exercise program. Information about how to fight obesity, smoking, alcoholism and prescription drug abuse must be at the forefront of an Company Wellness Program, along with related conditions.
• Hire a wellness coach to instruct employees on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
• Reward employees for being active in corporation wellness plans. Let employees accrue wellbeing and health points that they can redeem for prizes. Make the prizes healthy, too- a free massage, personal training session with the corporation’s wellness coach or health food gift certificate encourages even healthier lifestyle choices.
• Acknowledge employee health and wellness leaders in employer newsletters, in posted bulletins and on the employer intranet.
Corporate Health Promotion Programs Provide Big Results
For business owners who want to broaden employee participation in a Employee Wellness Program, consider Johnson & Johnson’s approach. Faced with only 26 percent of staff members participating in their employee wellness and health program, Johnson & Johnson offered staff members a $500 discount on medical insurance costs 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 Senior Management to use basic facts about the advantages of Employee Wellness Programs as part of their argument. Keep it simple, and share results from other company’s employee wellness plan success stories.