Employee wellness programs are a fairly new workplace fad. These programs did not even exist until the 1970s. And when they did exist, they were a perk to staff members in large firms. No matter if it involves a small or medium-sized company, these programs gained more and more interest and became an incredibly popular trend. Nowadays, employee wellness programs are more popular than ever. A study by the Society for Human Resource Management showed that 75% of businesses have some form of employee wellness programs. But, are these programs just a trend? Or are they going to grow to be necessary in today’s world? Should you have an employee wellness program in your business? Keep on reading and you will find out!

WHAT IS A WELLNESS PROGRAM?

Health and wellness programs are a health benefit that many companies offer along with health insurance. These programs may take on many different forms. A wellness program by definition is a program made to keep employees healthy or to help them improve their health. Employee wellness programs can vary in the function or goal of a particular program. The goal could be helping an employee quit smoking or to lose weight. The company may also offer an onsite gym or gym membership or they may have an incentive for involvement or attaining the desired outcome.

There is no right or wrong way to have a wellness program. Every employee wellness program can be different and that is a good thing! The employer must adjust their wellness program to work for their employees, not the other way around.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A WELLNESS PROGRAM

1) Health costs are lower for healthy, active workers.

Both the employer and employee enjoy lower health costs. And, companies may pass a smaller part of the bill onto the workers if the health costs are smaller. With bigger companies, studies found that companies with an employee wellness program had slower growth of the total medical spending than companies without a program. There was a significant reduction in chronic disease risk factors. In 2009, the average amount saved per worker was $565. This amount had an ROI of about $2-$4 per dollar spent on the program.

In another study, there were several areas where the healthcare expenses were cheaper per person each year. For example, people that were in an employee wellness program had lower costs and there were lower inpatient hospital costs. Over 4 years, the ROI from the program was about $1.65 for each dollar spent.

2) Productivity is better with employee wellness programs.

It is a well-known idea that exercising releases endorphins that help you to be in a good mood. As a result, happier people have a positive outlook on life. This can lead to workers with more energy, better problem-solving skills, and better productivity. Also, employees that take part in these programs with other employees have stronger working relationships and a stronger connection to helping the business they work for to also flourish.

3) There is a better adaptability with employee wellness programs.

Employees can adjust better to change when they have involvement in the workplace and are experiencing well being.

There are many different reasons in the workplace that an employee needs to be adaptable to change no matter what the size of the company. Some examples could be globalization, a change in their responsibilities, instant interaction tools, among others. With all these instances, increased adaptability can benefit any business.

Adaptable employees don’t waste their time complaining or getting upset about change in the workplace. They take a deep breath and push forward. Adaptable employees don’t need every step to a task laid out for them, they jump in and get the job done.

There needs to be an increase in adaptable employees, the people that keep going regardless of change. And, as it turns out, adaptability is learnable.

Implementing an employee wellness program can help your most involved employees by helping them adapt to change. The program will also boost their productivity and reduce their stress levels.

4) Employee retention and recruitment improve with employee wellness programs.

There isn’t any evidence that wellness programs make a difference in recruiting and retaining employees. But, there are many things to take into consideration when accepting a job offer. A good income besides to good benefits help.

Let’s take Microsoft for example. They will give you free wellness, gym memberships, onsite health and wellness centers, and no insurance premiums. Doesn’t that sound amazing? The vast majority of software or tech companies are offering wellness programs with their health benefits. This is so they can get and keep the best workforce possible. It is a lot easier to get the best employees out there when the business offers a rich health and wellness package.

As we said earlier, there isn’t a lot of evidence that an employee wellness program makes a big difference when someone is deciding if they are taking a job. But, a study by Virgin HealthMiles/Workforce showed that 87% of employees said health and wellness offerings were a consideration when choosing an employer. Still, in contrast to other benefits, employee wellness programs do not have as much of an influence on the decision process of choosing employment.

Even though there isn’t much information on wellness programs having an impact on employee recruitment, the programs do have a significant impact on retention. Retention is a business’s ability to keep the employees that they already have to work for them. Good benefits can have a great influence on employee retention. But, a good employee wellness program can help a business to keep loyal employees.

The most important part of any company is its employees. A business that offers a wellness program is pretty much saying, “You are an important part of this business. So, we would like you to be happy, healthy, and a part of our business for a long time.” It is showing employees that the business that they work for respects and appreciates them.

The business is showing their employees that they will do whatever it takes to keep them healthy and performing at their best. Employees will notice that effort and know that they are a valuable part of the business. That knowledge right there will go a long way in keeping those hard-working and valuable employees. They can always go find a job somewhere else, but will they have the same value and treated the same way?

Globally, from government facilities to medical facilities, health care issues are everywhere in headlines and conversations. It doesn’t matter if it’s a promising innovation or the newest legislation, the health and wellness team at Eagle Rise can help you make sense of it all. Our speakers range from Human Resource professionals and business consultants to veteran speakers. We have Transformation Evangelists and West Point Graduates. Our team of health and wellness speakers includes medical, health care, and physical and mental wellness experts, that are knowledgeable in many subjects. These subjects include human resources and disabilities in the workplace, motivation and personal development, transformation and change, faith and spirituality, emotional trauma, mind/body/spirit, nutrition and stress, and many other related topics.

Call us today and one of our health and wellness speakers can give the motivational lift that your staff needs. They can also give you some much-needed insight into innovations, policies, and new fads that are forming medical care in the future.

Eagle Rise has many health and wellness speakers that are experts in their fields. We have physicians and human resource professionals. We have experts in personal development and mental fitness coaches. Our ultimate goal is to help you and your employees to become healthier leaders of others and themselves. Today, we use all sorts of technology to improve our businesses. But, we use the most advanced self-operating system there is, the human body. Isn’t it time to get your mind and body working at its best?