An employee wellness program is any activity or program implemented by a company with the aim of improving the health of its working staff. Some employers have programs aimed at specific employees so as to help them with specific health issues. In most settings, the employers foot the cost of the wellness program. This is because a company cannot be healthy unless its employees are healthy. The overall belief is that healthy and fit employees are more efficient and generate more profits.
A well-structured wellness program will not only increase employee fitness, it will also boost morale, diminish absenteeism and help workers in making healthy choices.
Features of a wellness program
Wellness programs vary from institution to institution depending on what the employees require. The company has the responsibility of designing wellness programs that will work for their employees and not those that may leave the employees even more fatigued. Some of the common options included in most wellness programs include:
Fitness and gymnasium
Nutrition
Physiological testing
Stress management
Function of a wellness program
In today’s working world, wellness programs have become mandatory for employers. It offers a means for companies to be competitive in the recruitment and retention of employees. A job seeker will be more attracted to a job where he/she is offered the chance to work out after a stressful day.
Secondly, Job places are vital to improving fitness and health levels of their employees. As of today, people are spending more time at work than ever before. This presents the work environment as a prime place for encouraging healthful choices.
Advantages of employee wellness program
A well-instituted wellness program will benefit both employer and employee. Some of the companies without such programs point out that a wellness program is a costly investment on their part. However, several studies conducted on companies with extensive wellness programs show a positive return on their outlays.
Some of the benefits of an employee wellness program for employees include:
Decreased levels of stress
Studies conducted have shown that many employees recorded reduction in weight
Decreased health bills resulting from imposed healthy choices
Less fatigue
Superior overall well-being and self-esteem.
Employers also benefit greatly despite their costly investment on such programs:
Increased productivity and profits resulting from employees being more active
Employers are able to attract top talent in the market and have superior employee retention
Decreased incidences of employee illness and injury, hence reduced healthcare costs
Employee relations improve and so does employee morale
