What is a Corporate Wellness Program?

An Employee Wellness Program is an organized program to help employees in establishing healthier lifestyles.  This can include improving employee awareness on health topics, offering behavior change initiatives, and/or establishing company policies that support health-related goals and objectives.  Programs and policies that promote increased physical activity, tobacco use prevention and cessation, and healthy food selections are a few examples.   

The Dimensions of Wellness

Wellness is more than simply being physical fit.  The Dimensions of Wellness may include:

• Spiritual Wellness,
• Emotional Wellness,
• Social Wellness
• Intellectualual Wellness and
• Physical Wellness

The dimensions of wellness are sometimes depicted as a "wellness wheel" with examples of wellness components that include fitness, nutrition life purpose, financial planning, social connections & support systems, stress management, mind-body health, career planning and continued learning.   The key to individual wellness is maintaining a balanced “wellness wheel”.  A comprehensive Wellness Program addresses most, if not all, of these dimensions of wellness.

Why Offer a Corporate Wellness Program?

Staff Members spend a great deal of time working, and research show that our traditional work-week is getting longer.  In fact, the typical American now works about 47 hours per week.  Additionally, technologies such as laptops, mobile phones, voice and email have blurred the boundary between work-life and home-life.  These realities lower the amount of time that the average person is able to devote to health & wellness activities, and yet employees are expected to be at peak performance when on the job.

A study by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses found that Workplace Wellness Programs are successful in helping employees make positive health changes due to several factors such as environmental support, convenience and co-worker or social acceptance.   
What is the Connection between Wellness and the Workplace?

Workplace Wellness Programs and Policies that promote healthy behaviors can have a major impact on employee wellness AND have an impact on the corporation's bottom line.  Research shows that for every dollar invested by companies in Workplace Wellness Programs, there were savings ranging from $1.49 to $4.91 with the average wellness program ROI being $3.14*.  In organizational terms, that's more than a 3:1 minimum wellness ROI - a number that is difficult to ignore, and a best practice that should warrant serious consideration from companies.  In fact, a Corporate Wellness Program literature review posted in Health Promotion Practitioner Journal found:

• 19 studies found a 28.3% reduction in sick leave
• 16 studies demonstrated a 5.6:1 return on investment
• 23 demonstrated a 26.1% reduction in healthcare costs
• 4 demonstrated a 30% reduction in direct healthcare and workers’ compensation claims

There is little doubt that a Corporate Wellness Program targeted to meet a corporation's specific needs can save money by lowering absenteeism, lowering health care costs, lowering employee turnover, and improving productivity.

For help in starting a Corporate Wellness Program or to get a free wellness proposal you can visit Wellness Proposals or Infinite Wellness Solutions

* US Department of Health & Human Services, 2003