In the contemporary workplace human resources are highly valued. Employers understand, employees make or break the success of a company and therefore seek to ensure employees are able to maintain a consistent level of productivity. The health and well-being of employees is important to the modern employer. Wellness programs are becoming commonplace within working environments.
Wellness programs are implemented by a third party company that takes care of the health and well-being of employees within the company. Employee wellness programs vary from health screening and nutritional advice to fitness programs and education.
Companies employ these third party agencies to try to offset the cost of rising medical cover for their employees. Wellness programs are designed to ensure the physical well being of employees is being looked after however these kinds of programs have benefits for both the employer and the employee. Employer benefits include a reduction in sickness related absenteeism and a reduction in the time employees take off in general. Other benefits for the company are reduced medical cover costs and a more educated and healthy work force. Ensuring the health of employees within a company is highly contusive to a happy and productive work place.
Employee wellness programs also have a lot of benefits for employees. Wellness programs often involve some form of education. From smoking cessation programs to weight loss to biometric testing and diabetes screening these programs at the very least raise awareness around important health issues. This awareness can have a drastic effect on employee health and lifestyle. Employee wellness programs aim to improve family health in order to improve the overall wellness of the individual employee.
The basic idea behind employee wellness programs is to align the needs of the company with those of the individual in order to implement a more cost effective solution to health care. The programs education focuses on reducing the need for health care in the future by preventing health problems through education and training. This benefits both the employer and the employee as while the company reduces its outlay in medical cover the employee reaps the benefits of these programs.
There are many resources online that will greatly aid in your Wellness Program search. Employee Wellness Programs Quotes is a fast and easy way to get quotes from many of the nation’s largest, most reputable Wellness Programs.
While there has been no hard numerical evidence as to the value of employee wellness programs the qualitative substantiation is very apparent. Workplace wellness programs increase the productivity of the employee as well as contributing to their overall lifestyle. A happy and health workplace has proven to be a productive and effective one.
Charles Christian is a freelance writer specializing in a variety of industries.
May 4th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
better awareness of the health services and resources available to employees, both from their employer and from local, state, regional and national health services;
increased motivation for improving health behavior
May 4th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Planning a health fair is a lot like starting an employee wellness program on a smaller scale. Just like an employee wellness program, your health fair will need publicity, logistical planning, programming, targeted goals, in-house marketing and of course, executive approval. Festive touches like free food, kid-friendly activities, live music, art displays, talent shows and other community-minded fun will help cement the appeal of your health fair and ensure that the health fair becomes a welcomed, annual event.
May 4th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Many employee wellness planners find that health fairs are the primary reason why employees sign up for walking wellness programs, health savings accounts and other pro-employee corporate wellness programs.
May 4th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
HRAs (health risk assessments) got you mystified? They’re a bit of a puzzle because there’s no unified standard for health risk assessments. A health risk assessment is both a procedure and a document, too, depending on the context — you must answer questions and ideally undergo some simple biometric data collection to develop a document that describes what’s good and bad about your current state of health and wellness.
May 4th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Biometric data collection” is a hot phrase these days, but it can help your workforce with health management, too. When the pundits talk about biometric data collection, they’re usually referring to retinal scanners, fingerprint readers, and other high-tech security measures. However, if you trace the phrase “biometric data collection” back to its roots, it refers to the measurement of unique human physical and behavioral characteristics.
June 28th, 2008 at 1:07 am
I think that wellness programs should pretty much be mandatory everywhere. If they were can you imagine how much more productive, happier and healthier people would be!
July 4th, 2008 at 6:52 am
Excellent article. Unfortunately, many employers are STILL not aware of the value of a healthy, physically fit, employee. We, as a nation, in fact, as a world, could save so much and grow so much more effectively, if everyone took the time, and made the effort to protect their health through such simple means as regular moderate exercise, proper nutrition, and the correct amount and type of rest.
Best of luck.
Donovan Baldwin