Workplace Health
Businesses around the country are reaping the benefits of workplace wellness programs. Increased satisfaction, reduced absenteeism, and lower health care costs are just some of the many benefits of these programs.
Why should employers care about wellness?
Employers can improve their bottom line and increase efficiency by focusing on ways to enhance their employees' health and wellness. Providing good health coverage is an important building block to good employee health. With health care costs rising due to preventable and manageable chronic diseases, more focus on preventive health is needed.
Workplace wellness programs can provide value in many different ways to a company:
- Cost-benefit analyses show wellness programs make economic sense for the company by better controlling health care costs. Every dollar spent on health promotion led to an average reduction of more than $3 in health care expenses. (Partnership for Prevention. An Essential Health Promotion Sourcebook, for Employers Large and Small, Fall 2001)
- Wellness programs help reduce absenteeism and presenteeism (being present at work but too ill to perform well). As a result, employee productivity increases.
- A commitment to health and wellness in the workplace is correlated with higher employee satisfaction and improvements in morale. (Partnership for Prevention. An Essential Health Promotion Sourcebook, for Employers Large and Small, Fall 2001)
- Spending is lowered with an average 26% reduction in health costs and an average 30% reduction in workers' compensation and disability management claims.
Successful workplace wellness programs exist in a number of companies. Learn more about model workplace wellness programs »
