Over the last decade, with the rising rate of chronic disease and increasing health care cost in the United States, more and more employers started to concern about the impact of this trend, therefore, they have implemented employee wellness incentive program in their organization. Many of those employers believe that such program not only can reduce their financial burden and improve employees’ health, but also can reduce absenteeism and improve morale and productivity within organization. Meanwhile, some studies have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of employee wellness incentive program.
Point 1: Cost saving
Cost saving is one of the major benefits for employers to implement employee wellness incentive program. Researchers found that, over the last 15 years, preventable illness or disease makes up 70 percent or more of the total health care cost (Hall, 2008). Employers intend to use the program to reduce such preventable health risk, which can lead to expensive chronic diseases and high insurance costs. “According to a 2008 national survey by Harris Interactive, 91 percent of employers ‘believed they could reduce their health care costs by influencing employees to adopt healthier lifestyles,’ wrote two Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) experts”(Mello and Rosenthal 2008). An early proponent of such program, Johnson & Johnson, has greatly reduced its health care cost by adopting the program. The company estimates that wellness incentive programs have cumulatively saved Johnson & Johnson $250 million on health care costs over the past decade, and the return was $2.71 for every dollar spent from 2002 to 2008 (Berry, et al. 2010). According to the Kaiser/HRET survey 2010, positive feedbacks on the effective...
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...t by studying, at a single employer, a random sample of 185 workers and their spouses. The participants were not heart patients, but they received cardiac rehabilitation and exercise training from an expert team. Of those classified as high risk when the study started (according to body fat, blood pressure, anxiety, and other measures), 57% were converted to low-risk status by the end of the six-month program. (Berry, et al. 2010)
The Kaiser/HRET survey conducted in 2010 indicates that 59 percent of employers who offered wellness programs stated that these programs improved employee health. (Mattke et al. 2012)
According to the Kaiser/HRET survey 2010, positive feedbacks on the effectiveness of wellness incentive program from larger firms (at least 200 workers) were significant, 81 percent of the firs stated that the program improved health (Mattke et al. 2012).
Direct Observation during access to food. Settings varied but study was conducted over 28 days.
Personal health is extremely important to everyone around the world. But it is especially important to citizens of the United States of America. Being one of the leading countries in Health technology and also in food and beverage leaves most people choosing between living a healthy lifestyle and indulging in the varieties of food we offer. Across the country, many people are living with pre-existing conditions, living in food deserts, living below the poverty line and a long list of other factors that either hinders them from eating healthy or force them to eat healthily. When trying to live a healthy lifestyle in this country not only does the promotion of prevention matter, but also the promotion of Career and job opportunities matter just as much. In the United States, Money equals Power and money also equal the opportunity to create and live a healthier lifestyle.
Employee wellness programs, also known as a “worksite wellness program”, are programs that are designed to promote and support the health, safety, and well being of a company’s employees. Wellness programs are meant to improve the health of the staff, their morale, and in turn also help improve their productivity. There are many components that make up employee wellness programs, for example; Health Screenings, Health Fairs, Fitness classes, Smoking cessation classes, and even wellness issue workshops. Employers have begun adopting these programs in hopes of helping their employees while they are at an age when health interventions can still help transform their long-term health choice. This paper will focus on trends found between employee weight and productivity, and the impacts these could have on a business overall.
While the strain on the health care system is evidently a major issue, poor health of employees also has been proven to negatively affect the overall performance in the workplace. Alternatively, good health in the workplace has been proven to reduce absenteeism, reduce the costs of disability and dru...
The steady rise of healthcare costs and the ever increasing cost of health insurance premiums are making it harder and harder for employers to pay healthcare premiums for their employees. In the past, it was almost a given that employers picked up the tab for health insurance coverage. The health coverage was usually exceptional with little or no money paid out of pocket by the individual for the insurance premiums. Those appear to be the “good old days”, with fewer and fewer employers shelling out money for health insurance premiums and demanding a larger percentage to be paid by the employee. Other employers are simply unable to financially provide healthcare coverage for their employees and have stopped all together.
Engaging employees and families in healthy work programs, regular check-ups and illness prevention strategies are smart investments.
Actively engaging your employees in healthy choices can create a happier workplace, and it’s a smart way to run a business. The fact is, healthy employees’ use less medical health services, and takes less sick days, potentially saving your company money. Contact a Box Insurance Agency agent for your business insurance needs. Our Fort Worth Insurance Companies offer insurance, retirement planning, and investment services for securing the future of your business. Read on for tips to increase the workplace wellness of your employees.
We, as people in the workforce, are depended on to follow through with work commitments. A healthy employee is able to do more and feel well enough to enjoy it. We strive to do our best but how can we when we have low morale at the office. Healthy employees directly impact the bottom-line of all companies, from the sole proprietorship to the large corporation (1996). Keeping health-care costs low, boosting morale, increasing productivity, and reducing the absent rate is a payoff that every good business owner should recognize. When a small business is trying to become larger, having employees who are healthy and stress free is important. Losing a member of an already small number due to being ill is not the way to succeed. Working in an environment that is happy and productive is the perfect place to work, regardless of what the job is.
When thinking of my overall health, a few aspects stand out that I think I could definitely improve on. When I think my current personal wellness I think it is fairly decent. There are definitely people out there far worse than myself. It could be better because there is always room for improvement. I’m a big fan of personal growth. To me if a person decides to stop growing or wanting to better themselves either mentally, physically or emotiontally. Then whats the real purpose for living? I am a fairly active person. I love to hike, stay fit and eat healthy. Living a healthy lifestyle isn’t hard for me which I think definitely contributes to a wellness.
The second company that I will cover is General Mills, they do not have as intense a program as General Electric but they have a very well rounded health and wellness program that I believe Norfolk Southern could take an example from. General Mills has a screening tool, a computerized self-assessment that “helps employees identify health risks, motivate healthy lifestyle changes, and learn about health and wellness resources” (Workplace Wellness).
6). Workplace health promotion designed to improve lifestyle, and ultimately enhance health, the ability to function, and productivity (Rongen, Robroek, van Lenthe, & Burdorf, 2013, p. 406). Over the years, various theoretical models have evolved to “articulate variables involved in health behavior to predict participation and engage would be non-participants” (Galloway, 2003). Health Belief Model was one of the first theories of health behavior developed in 1950s by a group of social psychologists, who sought to explain what motivates public to participate in programs designed for wellness promotion and disease prevention (Nursing Theories, 2013). According to this model, preventative behaviors depend on the individuals’ beliefs, including their vulnerabilities to the disease, the effect of the disease on their lives, and the effect of health activities on reducing the disease severity and susceptibility (Sharafkhani, Khorsandi, Shamsi, & Ranjbaran, 2014, p.
Human resources will need to place emphasis on employee wellness my initiating programs that “include work-life balance processes, stress management, and therapy programs, and facilitating an open dialogue about mental health and illness to remove much of the stigma that plagues the conversation and ailments (Guppta, 2016).” By utilizing flexible work schedule options, demanding jobs with high-stress levels are possible because employees’ free time does not have to be sacrificed.
If one wants to live an enjoyable, fulfilling life they must know what it truly means to be well. Living a wellness lifestyle means incorporating all aspects of what it takes to flourish as a human being. It goes beyond the health of the physical body and incorporates the important social, emotional, and spiritual factors that play a part in every person’s life in one way or another. Knowing how to act correctly, control our feelings, channel our frustrations, and improve in each dimension of wellness will lead to a satisfactory life. Spiritual, physical, emotional, nutritional, and social wellness define the biggest components of life and thriving in them is vital.
Another large debate in the issues and impacts of obesity is the responsibility of employer’s. Especially for those whose obesity comes from a sedentary lifestyle. Or perhaps need the preventative measures of keeping obesity at bay. A hot topic on the rise is whether or not employers should be mandated to give employees a work-out period in their schedule. The employers could offer employee’s incentives for utilizing resources (a company gym, discounted memberships, and dietician, walking a company track) and by using the resources keep costs low. Though initially it could be costly to take on the responsibility to offer extra incentives to employee’s it could offer long term potential savings. (Villareal, Apovian, Kushner, and Klein 2005) Those whose companies offer various programs and actively engage in them express more happiness, productivity, a greater quality of life, and overall better health. Better health allows for employee’s to serve their employers better. They use less sick pay, keep insurance premiums low, and are more likely to be in tune with their daily job. So while the initial cost may be high, the long term financial gain of a happy, healthy, productive team is hard not to invest in!
Health care has always been an interesting topic all over the world. Voltaire once said, “The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” It may seem like health care that nothing gets accomplished in different health care systems, but ultimately many trying to cures diseases and improve health care systems.