Why you should have an employee wellness program

Employers are turning more and more to employee wellness programs, as means of investing in their workforce. Businesses have come to the understanding that their workforce is their biggest asset and it must be protected.Employee wellness programs have been shown to pay big dividends when it comes to improving productivity, morale and health costs within an organization. This has lead to a new movement as businesses of every size are searching to find the program that best meets their workforce's needs and the goals of the business.

It is important for every business owner to understand that employee wellness programs are not a one size fits all proposition. While larger businesses may have the money to invest in an expansive employee wellness program, smaller businesses can also become involved with less expensive initiatives. While establishing an employee wellness program does require some financial investment, it mainly requires effort and creativity.

Employee wellness programs are an investment in any business' most important asset, their employees.Studies have shown that employees, who are in the best physical and metal health, are much more likely to come to work on a regular basis and perform better when they are at work. In addition, employees who work for a company with a wellness program are more likely to remain with that company. This is important since employee turnover is a difficult and rising cost for businesses. Business owners need to do everything they can to retain a high quality of employee.Businesses with employee wellness programs have also found that they can use their program to attract employees who value the emphasis on employee welfare. There are also many other reasons that businesses should have an employee wellness programs. Here are a few of those reasons-

• Businesses with an employee wellness program are highly sought after. Having an employee wellness program has been shown to be a recruiting tool. Today's job applicants are looking for companies that can help them with a work/life balance.


• Businesses that have an employee wellness program report significantly lower rates of absenteeism and employees are much less likely to use their sick time. This results in a significant cost savings for the company, on many levels.


• Businesses with an employee wellness program report a much higher productivity rate. This includes employees making better use of on the job time and better decision making. Better producing employees means a much higher rate of profitability in the companies using an employee wellness program.


• Businesses with an employee wellness program report higher morale among their employees. This is significant since low morale is a major factor in a high rate of employee turnover. In addition, employee turnover is a costly problem, for businesses of every size and should be avoided at all costs.


• Businesses with an employee wellness program report that it is a highly effective tool in reducing health care costs. This is a simple solution to an ever growing cost since making healthier choices, significantly lowers the chances of an employee suffering from illness and reduces the chance of injury. In addition, less illness among a workforce also means that companies health insurance premiums can be reduced due to less use. This means that a company can have increased earnings, benefiting everyone who works for the company. It should be noted that that while productivity gains show up easier then health care costs reductions, from employee wellness, studies have shown that those workers who are at high risk medically are also among those employees with the highest costs medically. This happens because they use more health care then their healthier counterparts, and therefore generate a much higher rate of claims costs.