Healthy Employees Help Bottom Line

Employers have several reasons to encourage employees to improve their health and to maintain good health. Some employers adopt formal wellness programs to help employees pursue and achieve better health goals. But having a wellness program doesn't guarantee employee participation. So, to encourage participation in a wellness program, here are some suggestions:

• Provide what your employees want and will use. Don't give discounts to a health club if most employees would really prefer a free on-site aerobics class.
• Make it easy for employees to participate. Consider the cost, time of day, how far employees have to drive, childcare. Offer flexible hours so employees can exercise. If you have an empty room at your workplace, turn it into a mini-gym with mats and exercise equipment.
• Offer incentives. Offer a free T-shirt, or let employees accumulate points toward other fitness-related items.
• One pitfall to avoid: Be very careful to reward participation or achievement only if it's possible for every employee to participate or achieve goals. You may risk lawsuits if your incentive system seems to discriminate against employees protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Maintain a culture of wellness. Examples: Have healthy food choices in the cafeteria or vending machines, a no-smoking policy, a ban on alcohol at your company or organization functions, a walking path inside and outside your building.
• Educate employees. Keep a library of wellness information in an employee snack bar or lounge. Designate one bulletin board for health-related news. Hold seminars on healthy eating, weight loss, stress management, stopping smoking. Free speakers may be available to you from associations like the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, and the American Lung Association.
• Pay for stop-smoking programs. Employees pay the initial fee. But you reimburse half of it if they quit for six months. You pay the other half after one year free of smoking. You subsidize weight loss programs in the same way.
• Sponsor group sports. Not only will employees be more fit, but team sports also build team spirit among your staff. Examples of group sports include baseball, basketball, volleyball, even running. Note: Before sponsoring group sports for employees, confer with your attorney and your liability insurance agent to consider the possible legal risks and liabilities associated with involving employees in employer-sponsored sports activities.
• Sponsor health-club fees. Pay either a portion of the local health club's fee or the entire cost for employees.
• Consent to flexible work schedules. Flextime can make it possible for some employees to adjust their schedules so they can make time for exercise and health improvement activities.
• Benefits from wellness efforts.

Employers and Employees Can Reap Benefits from a Wellness Program

A survey by the Association of Schools of Public Health showed that 68 percent of Americans believed it is important to encourage people to live healthier lifestyles, to eat well, and not to smoke. A study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine reported that 50 to 70 percent of all diseases are associated with modifiable health risks (lifestyle choices).

Your wellness program demonstrates that you value your employees. Use your newsletter, memos and paycheck stuffers to remind employees regularly how a healthier lifestyle will benefit them.

A healthy wellness program benefits your business, too. Healthy employees take fewer sick days, don't cost as much to insure, and are generally happier and more productive. And a wellness program is good for recruiting and retaining employees. Reduction in health care costs due to fitness programs has been documented -- particularly by employers who have had programs in place since the early '80s. Savings vary but can amount to three or more times greater than program costs.