Your employee wellness program could pay for your yoga classes.
Wellness programs are increasingly included as part of the benefits package employees receive as part of their compensation. Some of these wellness programs are more comprehensive than others. However, trend spotters will observe that companies are paying more attention to the well-being of their employees as a way to keep employees healthy, happy, and productive and also as a way to keep costs down in the long term.
Lower Long-Term Health Care Costs
A Harvard School of Public Health article on employee wellness programs cited a national survey's findings revealing that over 90 percent of employers thought that encouraging employees to live healthier lives would help the company save on health care costs. So while a new healthy living initiative at work might have you thinking your company's CEO has become a fitness or health fanatic, remember that she's also thinking with the bottom line in mind.
Improve Productivity
Medical literature in recent years has also revealed that those with a higher body mass index (BMI) are more likely to develop costly and debilitating diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. An employee who exercises regularly and follows a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables and low in fat exhibits a lower risk of these diseases. Employers thus may draw the conclusion that an employee will be more productive -- and help the company be more successful --- if he is living a healthy, active life, possibly thanks to a bit of encouragement from his employers.
Improve Morale
Offices that encourage and provide incentives to employees to go to the gym or enroll in wellness programs often see morale boosts, too. Employees who are friends with colleagues outside the office thanks to a shared activity such as going to the same yoga class will be happier to go to the office than those who see the office as just a place to clock in to get paid.
Hiring Benefits
Companies may make the decision to institute wellness programs based on likely benefits to the bottom line. However, from the outside, prospective clients and employees may be attracted to a company that takes the extra step of encouraging and supporting wellness programs. Thus, human resources representatives may also find themselves lobbying for a wellness program to help give the company a competitive advantage when it comes to attracting the most qualified people to the company.
Tags: wellness programs, bottom line, employee wellness, help company, wellness program
