Small Business Brief

Employees

Wellness Program: 7 Reasons Why Your Workplace Needs One


Are you thinking about adding a wellness program to your workplace environment?

Your first question is whether or not these programs work. There’s a good reason to ask that question.

Companies who offer workplace wellness programs spend on average $742 per employee per year on wellness. That cost can add up quickly, so you want to be certain that there’s a return on that investment.

Workplace wellness programs have some drawbacks, mainly cost and employee participation. Despite these drawbacks, wellness programs have many benefits.

Read on to learn the many benefits of having a wellness program at your company and how you can get one started.

1. There’s ROI in Workplace Wellness

Think about how many times an employee has called out sick. That can throw your entire operation out of whack. Things get put on hold, or worse, you have to drop everything you’re doing to cover for them.

A wellness program has been shown to boost productivity and limit sick days. When you limit the number of sick days, your company workflow continues without disruption.

2. Less Stress in the Workplace

No matter what business you’re in, workplace stress is among the leading causes of employee discontent. Employees are so stressed out they don’t take care of themselves.

Stress can lead to bad decision making when it comes to their health. They’re more likely to eat foods that aren’t good for them and they’re more likely to be unhappy at work.

They also sleep less, which means that they don’t function as well as they could if they weren’t so stressed out.

What a workplace wellness program can do is teach your employees healthy ways to cope with stress. That could be through meditation programs or workshops that teach employees to build habits to cope with things are stressful.

3.Happier, More Loyal Employees

When your employees have an outlet for stress, such as a physical exercise program that’s part of your wellness program, they are happier.

When your employees are happier, they have better ways to cope with stress, better ways to deal with other people and make better decisions.

Not only that, when your employees are happy at their job, they’re less likely to leave. What does that mean for your business? You don’t have to invest thousands of dollars to replace them.

4. Camaraderie in the Workplace

If you have a medium to large sized business, there’s a good chance that your employees don’t really interact with each other. Departments may work in silos, which can limit the spirit of camaraderie in the office.

When there’s camaraderie, there’s a common bond between employees and a common goal. That can help create an aspirational feeling in the office. Your employees seek to be part of something bigger than themselves.

One of the ways to break down the silos of your company is through a workplace wellness program.

5. Reverse the Obesity Epidemic

There is an epidemic in the U.S. and around the world. It’s not a disease you can catch by sitting next to someone n the bus.

Rather, it’s driven by what your lifestyle and the lifestyle of your employees. We sit all day and we poison our minds with what’s on TV and poison our bodies with what we eat.

The result is that we can get fat. Really fat.

There are severe consequences to this lifestyle. The number of diabetics has increased. Heart disease, cancer, all of these diseases are preventable if would only make better food choices.

One way to go about fighting this is though one simple change. One part of your workplace wellness program can include better eating options.

For example, you could have a vending machine that distributes healthy options in the office, instead of soda and candy. You can learn more about those options here. 

6. Lower Healthcare Costs

We already talked about the ROI of a wellness program just based on reducing the number of sick days and increasing productivity.

Add on top of that a healthier workforce. With a healthier workforce, you have lower healthcare costs.

7. A Wellness Program Can Be a Recruitment Tool

It’s a challenge to attract the best and brightest employees for many businesses. In a tight job market, you can’t compete on your company’s reputation alone. It’s hard to compete on salary alone, too.

What you can offer employees are other benefits to working at your company. Things like a free gym membership, healthy food options, and team building activities can be great add-ons that other companies may overlook.

When you factor in the overall environment with happier, healthier employees all pulling together with a common goal, your company can compete for the best and brightest talent.

Workplace Wellness Starts with You

It’s obvious that a wellness program at your company can have many benefits. You still may not be convinced of the ROI, though. In a review of studies of workplace wellness programs, it’s been found that overall, they have a positive impact, with a significant ROI.

That doesn’t mean that everyone has been a success. The reason why these programs aren’t successful is due to the fact that there’s not a lot of buy-in from employees. 

That starts with you. As the leader of your company, you need to set the example. That makes employees more likely to participate in a wellness program. 

A Workplace Wellness Program Is Worth It

Having a workplace wellness program has a lot of benefits. If you implement your program well and get employee buy-in, your company will see a return on investment.

To get started with a workplace wellness program, come up with a list of ideas that you can implement easily. It could be something as small as a vending machine, and it could be a competition.

Your employees will appreciate the fact that you care about their health.

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