Why your business should have an employee wellness program

More and more business owners are starting to see the importance of their employee's health. They have begun to realize that when they have healthy employees they have productivity employees. This has led to the development of many different types of employee wellness programs. The results have been clear that when your employees are healthy they will not only be more productive but they will continue to function at that higher level for a longer period of time. However, it should be stressed that there are many other benefits to having an employee wellness program. While each program is different there are certain commonalities that show up as far as the benefits they produce. Here is why your business should have an employee wellness program-

- Health care costs go down-Businesses that have an employee wellness program pay less in health care costs across the board. The reasoning is simple-healthy employees use less health care which reduces the premiums and the overall costs for health care that have to be paid. Keep in mind that studies show that this reduction in health care that is a result of employee wellness programs is quite substantial. Your employee wellness program will help you to not only help your employees become healthy but reduce what you are spending, as well. Considering the fact that health care costs are one of the fastest rising costs for most businesses this type of savings can be quite significant.
- Employee absenteeism go down-The bottom line is that anytime your employees are not at work its costing you money. Whether they are missing work because of cold, heart problems, or even depression your bottom line suffers. Not only are you having to pay sick time but productivity is reduced as well as any costs that have to be paid to replace the sick worker such as a temp, outsourcing etc. Many businesses that have implemented an employee wellness program have found that the rates of employee's absenteeism go down drastically. The reason is fairly simple-healthy employees can come to work and get lots done. When a business has an employee wellness program they are able to educate their employees as to what changes they can make that will improve their health. When your employees respond they are able to be healthier and be at work where everyone benefits.
- Employee morale goes up-Businesses find that when they put an employee wellness program into their company structure that employee morale and job satisfaction goes up. Whether the program provides fitness options, nutritional counseling, smoking cessation, or other options employees perceive an employee wellness program as the way employers show that they care about their staff. Studies show that when this happens employees are much happier on the job which in turn translates to happier and more productive employees who are loyal to their employer. In short, an employee wellness program retains the type of employees that you want working for you. When your employees feel that you have their best interest at heart they are far more likely to want to continue to work for you and be happier while they are doing it.
- Recruitment of top tier job applicants goes up-Another major benefit of having an employee wellness program is the effectiveness of using it as a recruiting tool. Today, many top job applicants are looking to work for businesses that show that they care about their employees. Having a well developed employee wellness program can show the people that you want to hire that you care about your employees. This can often be a highly successful way to recruit and hire the top people in your field.