Regular exercise helps relieve the stress and fatigue that hinders worker productivity.
Employers provide wellness programs hoping to reduce their healthcare costs, increase employee retention and take advantage of tax incentives and grants. Many employers also believe that healthier employees are more productive workers. Corporate wellness programs offer services such as on-site or sponsored fitness center memberships, health screenings, healthier cafeteria offerings and classes on nutrition and disease prevention. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 28 percent of private companies, and 54 percent of government employers offer wellness programs.
Reduced Injuries
The BLS reports that in 2009, 1 million non-fatal workplace injuries required days away from work. Sprains, strains, muscle tears and repetitive motion injuries were significant causes of non-fatal workplace injuries. Wellness programs that include strength training, balance and ergonomic adjustments in the work environment reduce the incidence and severity of common workplace injuries. Overall productivity improves with fewer workplace injuries.
Reduced Fatigue
Fatigue contributes to workplace injuries by reducing alertness and neural processing of sensory data. Research shows that physical exercise increases total sleep time and that aerobic exercise leads to a decrease in less restful, rapid-eye-movement sleep. Employees receiving sufficient sleep are less tired and more productive.
Reduced Stress
Experiencing constant stress negatively effects work performance. Stress can disrupt sleep, cause illness and reduce attention to work details. Almost any form of exercise acts as a stress reliever, suggests the MayoClinic. The physical activity associated with wellness programs helps release endorphins -- associated with positive feelings -- and improves mood, thus increasing productivity.
Reduced Absenteeism
A worksite wellness study funded by the Centers for Disease Control found a 2.5 percent decrease in absenteeism, from 10 percent to 8.2 percent, which may be attributable to the wellness program. It's well known that lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, smoking, and tobacco use leads to poor health and chronic diseases. Behavior changes, such as participation in wellness programs at work that emphasize activity and nutrition education, are thought to improve health, reduce causative factors for chronic diseases and lead to fewer illness-related sick days.
Tags: workplace injuries, wellness programs, associated with, chronic diseases, more productive, non-fatal workplace, non-fatal workplace injuries
