Wellness Programs Essay

Wellness Programs and the Effect on the Workplace

A wellness program is the employers’ line of attack to cultivating their employees’ health. Wellness programs can range from a multitude of company- sponsored activities in a wide range of areas. Some of these areas are: dieting, exercise, checkups, quitting tobacco programs, and programs to promote physical fitness. Wellness programs can often offer financial incentives to get their employees motivated in participating in the program. (Alic, 2012)

The history of employment wellness dates back to 1879. The Pullman Company of Chicago created employee athletic association. Shortly thereafter in the 1880s the president of National Cash Register was known to meet employees for morning horseback

A Health Risk Appraisal is a questionnaire that reviews individual lifestyle practices, some examples are: exercise, smoking, and seat belt use. This questionnaire can give human relations some idea of what health concerns that needs to be addressed. The Health Risk Appraisal can often be provided to a companies’ human relations department free of charge through is health insurance company. If a Health Risk Appraisal cannot be provided by the companies’ insurance provider it can usually be purchased at a low cost from another source. One of these sources is the University of Michigan. While doing this, human relations needs to be sure that they are following Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) regulations while conducting the Health Risk Appraisal. Instead of the Health Risk Appraisal, human relations can conduct an employee interest program to see what employees are interested in for an employee wellness program. (Wellness-program,

Some no cost ideas are no tobacco use at work and employee walks. Other options are promote healthy options in vending machines instead of junk food options. For instance a company could charge only 25 cents for an apple and sell a cupcake for $1. An employee walking program can be set up with a pedometer challenge. The employer could provide a safe place to store bikes and encourage employees to use the stairs instead of elevators. Employers can also purchase heathy food for meetings instead of junk food and hold Weight Watchers meetings. More expensive options are to purchase gym memberships and even construct on site fitness facilities. (Wellness-program, 2015)

Advantages to Employee Wellness Programs Employee wellness programs are a great advantage to employers for many reasons. They can lower health care expenses and healthier employees have less sick days. Healthier employees achieve a higher rate of productivity and are absent less often. They also reduce injuries, workers’ compensation, and disability-related expenses. Employee wellness programs also increase employee loyalty and morale. (Wellness Programs: What are the general steps, 2015)

Disadvantages to Employee Wellness