Healthy Employees = Healthy Business

The Evolution of Corporate Health and Wellness

Wellness Plans have been around for a while, usually as gym memberships, employee fitness programs, and health screenings. Then wellness plans evolved to include programs designed to reduce medical claims, prevent significant medical procedures, provide smoking cessation, and decrease absenteeism.

Better Technology, More Participation

Today, employees and new hires are looking for programs that offer more than conventional medical and dental insurance. They see Wellness Plans as a valuable “perk” and may expect:

Resting Rooms 

If resting at work sounds like a waste of time (and money), consider this: lack of sleep affects almost every facet of health. 29% of workers report feeling drowsy on the job, costing the US $63 billion each year in lost productivity.

On-Site Workouts:  Physical activity increases blood flow to the brain, resulting in higher alertness and energy, lower stress and improved concentration.

Catered Meals: On-site healthy catered meals can help ensure that employees are eating well and staying at the office, which increases productivity and mental clarity.

Parental Leave: In general, U.S. family leave policies are way behind much of the rest of the world, even though family issues have a major impact on overall employee wellness.

Take Your Dog to Work: It’s proven that contact with pets can lower blood pressure and elevate mood.

Yes, All This Really Works

Here are a few facts from a study of HumanaVitality’s wellness program. Results compare employees who were engaged in a wellness plan with those who were unengaged.

Health Claims Cost

Engaged Members: 6% lower healthcare costs in year one, 10% lower by year three

Unengaged Members: healthcare costs rose by 17% from year one to year three

Chronic Conditions

Engaged Members: claims were 12% lower than those of Unengaged Members.  

Absenteeism   
Unengaged Members: average 23 hours of unscheduled absences per year  

Engaged Members: six fewer hours of unscheduled absences  

Emergency Room and Hospital Visits

Unengaged Members: 56% more emergency room visits and 37% more hospital than Engaged Members

Takeaways

1. Consider the Value on Investment versus Return on Investment. Simply reducing employee stress can make a huge improvement. Stressed employees have more absences, are less focused and are more likely to be unhealthy.

2. Wellness isn’t just about exercise and nutrition. It’s a way to support employees. Improve their lives and careers while promoting a positive workplace culture.

3. Organizations with engaged employees outperformed their competition. The companies with more satisfied, personally involved employees had higher earnings per share, according to a Gallup report on 49 publicly traded companies.

Insurance products and services are:  NOT FDIC insured - Not a Deposit of the Bank - Not Bank Guaranteed - May Lose Value.

Contributors

Christa Cooper, Consumer Experience Consultant, Humana Hiran Perara, CEO, WalkingSpree William M. Fisher, Wilkins, Finston, Friedman Law Group LLP

Works Cited

Jennifer Schaefer. (February 24, 2015) The Real ROI for Employee Wellness Programs . Retrieved September 9, 2015. http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/article...

Erin Moriarty-Siler. 6 more wellness perks we want to steal . Retrieved May 17, 2016. http://www.benefitspro.com/2016/05/16/6-more-welln...

Chris Morris. (February 12, 2014) The Pet Economy . Retrieved May 19, 2016. http://www.cnbc.com/2014/02/11/10-companies-that-l...

Arianna Huffington. (April 5, 2016) The Sleep Revolution: Harmony

Jaco conradie.(2015) HumanaVitality three-year impact study  available for retrieval at www.humana.com/employer