Workplace Wellness at Bargain Prices

April 29th, 2012Wellness, Work Place Health0 comments

In this day and age where money isn’t flowing from trees, it is hard for companies to justify spending money on employee wellness. Depending on what wellness program a company chooses, the starting up of a program can be costly. But does it pay off? Some research seems to indicate that it does. In one study, it was found that for every dollar spent on workplace wellness, three dollars were saved in less absenteeism and greater work productivity. This leads to a positive and black bottom line when it comes to wellness.

So what can companies do to enhance wellness? They can hire a nurse line to answer employer’s questions without having to see the doctor for trivial things. They can open a company gym, where employees can work out during breaks or before and after work hours. They can do screening tests for diseases that are much more difficult and expensive to treat once the disease is advanced. Examples of this include screening for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The BMI of every employee could be checked and those that are found to be overweight can receive coaching on losing weight.

Employees that are healthier care more about themselves, show up to work more and they work harder for the company. This directly affects the bottom line in ways few companies can even imagine. It can lower insurance premiums as well because the population is overall much healthier.

Employers can do as little or as much as they can pay for, knowing that what they do will affect the bottom line in a positive way. The programming can be directed at everyone, such as for screening tests, or they can be directed at a certain population of employees, such as smokers or those that are overweight. There can be incentives for gaining a certain health status paid for by the company to successful employees. It sounds like a lot of money but it really pays off in the end.

In this lean economy, having healthy employees means hiring fewer temps and having production become sluggish because people are sick or exhausted. Detecting disease in its early stages means not having to pay for severe illnesses like lung cancer, heart disease and advanced diabetes.

Start an employee-wide challenge for things like weight, healthy eating and exercise. This makes for greater camaraderie and more compliance with company-wide policies. It’s a great way to start your employees on a pathway to better health for the rest of their lives.

This post has been viewed 84 times.

Workplace Wellness at Bargain Prices

February 4th, 2012Wellness, Work Place Health0 comments

In this day and age where money isn’t flowing from trees, it is hard for companies to justify spending money on employee wellness. Depending on what wellness program a company chooses, the starting up of a program can be costly. But does it pay off? Some research seems to indicate that it does. In one study, it was found that for every dollar spent on workplace wellness, three dollars were saved in less absenteeism and greater work productivity. This leads to a positive and black bottom line when it comes to wellness.

So what can companies do to enhance wellness? They can hire a nurse line to answer employer’s questions without having to see the doctor for trivial things. They can open a company gym, where employees can work out during breaks or before and after work hours. They can do screening tests for diseases that are much more difficult and expensive to treat once the disease is advanced. Examples of this include screening for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The BMI of every employee could be checked and those that are found to be overweight can receive coaching on losing weight.

Employees that are healthier care more about themselves, show up to work more and they work harder for the company. This directly affects the bottom line in ways few companies can even imagine. It can lower insurance premiums as well because the population is overall much healthier.

Employers can do as little or as much as they can pay for, knowing that what they do will affect the bottom line in a positive way. The programming can be directed at everyone, such as for screening tests, or they can be directed at a certain population of employees, such as smokers or those that are overweight. There can be incentives for gaining a certain health status paid for by the company to successful employees. It sounds like a lot of money but it really pays off in the end.

In this lean economy, having healthy employees means hiring fewer temps and having production become sluggish because people are sick or exhausted. Detecting disease in its early stages means not having to pay for severe illnesses like lung cancer, heart disease and advanced diabetes.

Start an employee-wide challenge for things like weight, healthy eating and exercise. This makes for greater camaraderie and more compliance with company-wide policies. It’s a great way to start your employees on a pathway to better health for the rest of their lives.

This post has been viewed 532 times.