Corporate wellness program resources

Joseph E. Fournier, J. Over-medicalized wellness programs mostly benefit the program vendors to the tune of billions of dollars a year. We know that heart attacks are caused by poor diet, smoking and lack of exercise, which our program addresses. Thus, it pays for itself and then some. With a healthier lifestyle, it would be cut in half to 1 percent. This means of his peers will need to participate in an effective program over 10 years to avoid one case.

For relatively rare events, such as heart attacks in the working-age population, the number is large and so the cost-per-case-avoided is high. It included almost , employees at seven employers and showed that wellness programs had little, if any, effect on health care costs. Interestingly, the study also showed that supporting employees with chronic conditions does save money, as we are managing a population with higher absolute event risks.

The most convincing evidence comes from a recently published randomized trial led by University of Chicago economist Katherine Baicker, Ph. She is the same Dr. Baicker who published the methodologically questionable analysis that claimed a return on investment of 3-to-1 for workplace wellness initiatives. Employers have plenty of low-cost or no-cost options to promote healthier lifestyles. For instance, they can change cafeteria menus, provide formal and informal exercise opportunities, link staff to community resources, and educate workers about healthy living.

However, over-medicalized programs, which nudge or force employees to undergo screenings well beyond the U. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations, mostly benefit the program vendors to the tune of several billion dollars a year. To me, this is not even the most troubling aspect. With unhealthy lifestyles and poor health more frequent in lower socioeconomic strata, such incentives, especially if they go beyond token amounts, shift costs to the most vulnerable employees.

And that is not responsible stewardship. Soeren Mattke, M. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Please enable scripts and reload this page.

The program must have the feature to be adjusted or customized accordingly. The program, therefore, should give real-time analytics and deep insights on participation and health trends of the employees. Also, the program should ensure a smooth management. Rewards have the power to give one the feeling of true achievement that will make the whole experience fun and enjoyable. It creates more willingness among employees to give their best.

Also, it reflects your sincere effort towards promoting wellness at the workplace. One of the very important features that you would want to look for in a Corporate Wellness program is global distribution.

A global distribution system is a worldwide computerized network system that enables you to manage a program from anywhere you are. The system uses a single access point for all actions. For instance, you can be sitting in any part of the world say LA, and you will be able to manage your health initiative for your employees located in different parts of the world.

Although, having a sound employee wellness program has numerous direct and indirect benefits, here are my top 6 picks. Corporate health and wellness programs substantially reduce health care cost incurred by an organization.

A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. Likewise, a healthy and balanced lifestyle results in improved sleep cycles, reduced anxiety and stress, improved mood. All these things collectively improve work motivation. An effective Corporate wellness program reduces absenteeism among your employees. Employee absenteeism is one of the top reasons for degrading the growth of a company. Any program that decreases absenteeism is a smart investment. Poor work productivity is characterized by employees physically being at work but not actually working.

A health and wellness program decreases the poor productivity among your employees and improves the overall work productivity and performance level. Having a wellness program presents a caring image of the company. When organizations take such extra effort to improve the health of their employees, the employees feel valued and cared for.

Providing healthcare to employees is an ethical as well as a financial responsibility of an employer. So why not do it in the best way? Having a corporate wellness program is directly and indirectly beneficial to the company in many ways as we have discussed in the blog. All your employees seek in a personalized and technologically advanced approach. You give them that and your program is destined to be a success! Medical and healthcare costs rising at an alarming rate and so are are the risks of health crises.

This article is written by Darshana Dutta. She writes extensively about various topics under the umbrella of People management and Company Culture. For any related queries, contact editor vantagecircle. A comprehensive guide for launching successful and engaging employee wellness programs that foster employee health and wellness.

The groundwork of all happiness is health. For the simplest reason that one cannot separate the mind and body. So where is the problem? Like the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Remember health improvement, in the long run, is what we are after. How to Reach Out to your Employees Understand the needs of your employees: It is important to understand the dynamics of the health behavior of your employees.

Leverage best channels to reach to them: To be in-line with your employees, you have to get inside their head and be at their fingertips. Incorporating technology: A Corporate Wellness program must have a digital angle. Gamification: The term Gamification refers to incorporating elements of gaming like competition, scores, guidelines, leaderboard, new levels etc to a program.

A comprehensive solution: A workforce naturally consists of a diverse range of people who have different health needs. Community-driven engagement: Community participation is a great driving force in corporations. Customizable Features: Like we were just discussing, different people have different needs.

This will simply make the program more relevant and convenient. Real-time analytics and easy management: The heart of science is measurement. Reward and incentivization: Adding incentives and rewards to a program is a great proposition. Global solution: One of the very important features that you would want to look for in a Corporate Wellness program is global distribution. Benefits of a Corporate Wellness Program Although, having a sound employee wellness program has numerous direct and indirect benefits, here are my top 6 picks.

Western Dakota Tech Learn. Western Dakota Tech is committed to the health and wellness of our employees. The Wellness Program is offered to faculty and staff each semester to support their fitness goals. Participation in the program is easy! Simply follow these steps:.