Corporate wellness programs provide myriad benefits to businesses by providing many physical and emotional tools for employees. A physically fit workforce means fewer workdays lost to ailments such as lower back pain. Workers with reduced stress are more productive because they can focus better on their work. Companies have lowered costs and improved productivity with wellness programs implemented in the workplace.
Alcohol and Tobacco Programs
Smoking cessation and alcohol abuse programs help decrease health insurance and worker's compensation costs, reduce absenteeism and increase productivity. Smokers alone costs American companies an average of $1,300 annually per person, according to the Wellness Council of America. Combine smoking with alcohol and other drug use and the cost to U.S. business soars to $100 billion dollars per year.
Wellness programs aimed at curbing or eliminating tobacco and alcohol use include general lectures, individual counseling, payments for rehab visits, and ongoing newsletter articles and distribution of pamphlets.
Nutrition Programs
Obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, fatigue and many other health problems are often the result of poor eating habits. Many diseases and conditions can be prevented, minimized and treated through nutrition.
Many corporate wellness programs include diet and nutrition education as a key component of their plan. Lectures, newsletter articles, cooking demonstrations and classes, free, healthy snacks, heart-healthy cafeteria items, video, book and DVD libraries and pamphlets can all serve as components of a wellness program.
Mental Health Programs
Stress caused by divorce, death, parenting and work all contribute to decreased productivity in the workplace. Wellness programs often included general lectures, individual counseling and other means of communicating helpful information about mental health issues to a workforce.
Fitness Programs
Lower back pain alone causes American workers to miss 100 million work days each year, according to WELCOA. In addition, poor physical condition often leads to injuries which result in accidents and increased worker's compensation claims.
One of the most widely implemented and popular wellness programs for employees is a fitness program. Wellness fitness programs include on-site fitness centers, subsidies and rebates for gym memberships and home exercise equipment, free physicals, company sports teams, pre-work stretching, after-hours workout classes and fitness libraries.
Pregnancy and Pre-Natal Programs
The physical and emotional issues associated with a pregnancy affect both the mother and the employer. From pre-natal to post-partum help, wellness programs can help reduce health issues for employees and their children.
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