Investing in employee fitness is more than a good public relations move or morale builder for businesses. Depending on how far you expand your definition of fitness, corporate wellness program spending can produce a healthy return on investment, according to multiple surveys and case studies cited by organizations such as the Wellness Council of America.
Decreased Tardiness and Absenteeism
Fit employees miss fewer workdays and miss fewer hours during the workday dealing with aches, pains, trips to fill prescriptions, doctor visits and phone calls. Pre- and postnatal fitness leading to better child health reduces the amount of time a new mother spends dealing with sitters, nannies, doctors and spouses when newborns are ill. Workers miss more than 100 million workdays each year because of lower back pain, according to the Wellness Council of America. A decrease in weight and stronger core muscles reduce instances of lower back pain. Pacific Bell estimated it saved $2 million in absenteeism costs annually, and workers took 3.3 fewer short-term disability days after it implemented its FitWorks wellness program.
Decreased Injuries
A worker is injured every five seconds in the U.S., with a temporary or permanent disability occurring every 10 seconds, and on-the-job injuries cost companies more than $100 billion annually, according to Wellness Council of America. Improved muscular and cardio fitness helps employees remain stronger and more alert and help decreases workplace injuries. After instituting a pre-work stretching program, the Lincoln Plating Company of Lincoln, Nebraska, decreased worker injuries by 50 percent annually.
Lower Health Care Costs
Companies with fitter employees spend less on insurance premiums, copays, deductibles, worker's compensation claims and lawsuits. Union Pacific Railroad reduced health care expenses by $1.26 million after instituting an employee self-care program that included a fitness center, smoking-cessation program and other wellness components. The company trimmed health care costs 17 percent during the first five years of the program alone.
Improved Productivity
The more employees stay on the job, the more productivity improves. The DuPont Corporation decreased the number of employee disability days by more than 11,700 in the two years following implementation of a wellness program. In addition to reducing disability wages by almost $120,000 each year at its Tennessee plant, the company improved attendance by as much as 19 percent annually and gained the corresponding boost in employee productivity.
References
- Wellness Council of America: Building a Well Workplace
- Corporate Health Programs: Employee Wellness Programs: Focus on Smoking Cessation Programs
- Wellness Quotes: Top 10 Reasons Why Your Company Needs an Employee Wellness Program
- Eat That Monkey: Health Care and Insurance Costs
- Workplace Wellness Program: Are Company Wellness Programs Cost-Effective?
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