Build a Competitive Business with Wellness

Employees are an organization’s greatest asset. For this reason, employers should deploy the same amount of resources for employee wellness programs that is put toward building their business. Wellness programs should no longer be used as a mere enticement for recruitment of new talent but should instead be viewed as a necessity to be competitive in business.

Now is the time for employers to embrace wellness as a cost saving measure. Employers spend approximately $93 billion per year on obesity and related chronic diseases. In addition, the indirect costs of ill health may be several times greater than these direct medical costs. To compound matters, the US workforce is aging. By 2018, nearly one-quarter of the workforce will be 55 years or older. And, unfortunately, as employees age their health risks increase.

According to the CDC, 117 million Americans – or roughly half of US adults – have at least one chronic disease and one-quarter have multiple chronic conditions; and rates are expected to increase for certain illnesses. By 2050, the number of adults with diabetes could double or triple. And it’s not simply physical health that employers need to worry about. Approximately 18 percent of the population suffers from a diagnosable mental illness and a global analysis found that depression, anxiety and stress are rapidly increasing. These disorders take a toll on energy, focus and mood, in addition to causing increases in absenteeism due to doctors’ visits and sick days.

Newcomers to the workforce are affecting the landscape as well. The millennial generation who favor independence, leadership, creativity and a healthy work-life balance also favor wellness. Success in this new world will depend on an employer’s ability to maintain older, experienced workers, keep health care costs down and satisfy the ideals of the incoming generations.

To maximize the benefit of wellness programs consider the needs of your employees, the unique structure of your organization and available resources. According to Harvard University researchers, wellness programs returned over $3.00 in health care savings for every dollar that the company invested. Further, it is estimated that an improvement in mental health would save companies $21.6 billion due to reduced absenteeism alone. And a recent report in the Economist found that 89 percent of employee respondents believe that wellness programs improve their well-being and happiness.

Employers and management need to embrace the notion that it is not fiscally prudent to put employee health on the back burner; employee well-being is the foundation of a successful company. When a business employs a healthy, satisfied and engaged workforce, productivity goes up, influence expands, health costs decline and profits increase.

At Wellness Workdays, our comprehensive wellness programs encompass total well-being. We work with organizations across the country to develop programs that target the specific needs of each workforce – from physical and mental health to emotional health and fiscal fitness. A number of our programs involve spouses and children, which enables us to develop healthy employees and healthy families. Let us help you make your organization healthy in every dimension.

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Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.

Is Too Much Sitting Making You Unproductive?

By now, most of us have heard that “sitting is the new smoking.” Plenty of studies have shown that the more you sit during the day, whether it’s at your office or at home in front of the TV, the higher your risk for chronic disease and mortality. Increased physical activity reduces these risks, builds and preserves lean muscle mass, and promotes weight loss and weight maintenance.

But what if you are too busy during the day to fit in exercise? One might think that the longer you are sitting at your computer instead of doing exercises or taking walking breaks, the more work you can get done. However, one recent study challenged this theory and examined whether how much you sit affects your productivity level and overall mood.

Employees from four different Spanish universities completed a survey that included questions on several socio-demographic variables, such as gender, age and weight, as well as self-reported sitting time, physical activity (PA) level, mental well-being and work productivity over a seven-day period. The employees were split into three categories: low, moderate or high physical activity level. Specific assessment tools were used to analyze these reports.

This study found that higher levels of physical activity were associated with better reports of overall mental well-being and the least amount of lost work productivity. The study also measured the association between higher body mass index (BMI) and work performance losses. Those with a higher BMI had more difficulty achieving work-related demands, performing cognitive tasks and interacting with other employees. Researchers also found that increased sitting time over the weekend and while commuting was associated with lower mental well-being and decreased productivity. Another finding to note with regard to sitting time is that women were more likely to report a low state of mental well-being than men.

Bottom Line: If you find it difficult to stay on task at work, one solution is to get moving! Take the initiative to break up the amount of time you spend sitting. If you work in an office setting, find out if obtaining a standing desk is an option. Build time into your calendar to take stretch breaks or go for a short walk. Finding time over the weekend to engage in physical activity will also benefit your mood and productivity for the week ahead.

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Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs

Healthy Workplace, Healthy Employees

Can healthy practices at your workplace help you maintain a healthy weight? The average American works at least forty-seven hours per week. Spending so many of our waking hours at the office makes the workplace a prime location for wellness intervention.

A new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health studied the impact of workplace environment on the employee’s diet, physical activity level and body mass index (BMI). The researchers collected data on 1,538 people who answered surveys while in middle or high school during 1998 and 1999. Ten years later, the participants were asked to answer another survey. At the second survey, the average age of the participants was twenty-five years old. The surveys assessed each participant's height, weight, typical diet, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and specifics about their workplace food, environment and location.

Results demonstrated that employees who identified three or more healthy factors at work, such as exposure to healthy foods in the break room or ease of being active, were less likely to be obese than those working at jobs with fewer healthy factors. About 17 percent of employees were obese in workplaces that encouraged healthy lifestyle habits, whereas 24 percent of employees were obese in workplaces that did not promote healthy practices. Workplace characteristics independently associated with weight-related outcomes included soda availability, proximity to a fast food outlet, living close to work, and perceived ease of eating a healthy diet or being active at work.

Bottom Line: Heavy workloads and approaching deadlines often cause employees to skip exercise or grab a meal that is convenient, rather than healthy. Employers can create an environment for their employees that promotes healthy lifestyle practices. If you're not sure where to start, a worksite wellness company can design a custom-tailored wellness program specific to the needs of your employee population.

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Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.

Trending: Employers Focus on Overall Employee Well-Being

As you evaluate your worksite wellness program this year, or start to make plans to implement one in 2016, read the Workplace Wellness Trends survey prepared by the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans. While traditional initiatives such as health risk assessments and wellness challenges continue to be popular, there is a growing trend to add newer, innovative benefits including mental health coverage, financial education, collaborative workspaces, free wearable tracking devices, standing/treadmill desks and encouraging vacation time use. Employers are looking beyond physical wellness and focusing on the overall well-being of their employees.

The survey found that the top traditional wellness initiatives include: 

• Flu shots (71 percent)
• Smoking-cessation (54 percent)
• Health risk assessments (51 percent)
• Health screenings (50 percent)
• Wellness/fitness challenges (42 percent)

The top non-traditional wellness initiatives include: 

• Vacation time/encouraging time off (66 percent)
• Mental health coverage (63 percent)
• Tuition reimbursement (63 percent)
• Community charity drives (57 percent)
• On-site events/celebrations (50 percent)

The survey notes that “organizations are offering wellness initiatives for different reasons—59 percent offer wellness primarily to invest in/increase worker health and engagement, while 41 percent primarily aim to control/reduce health-related costs.” The employers offering wellness programs are getting results. Ninety-three percent of companies that analyze their wellness ROI achieve a positive return on their investment. The survey reports that the average ROI per $1 spent is $3. The organizations that track more specific wellness efforts report improved engagement (54 percent), reduced absenteeism (45 percent), and a positive impact to their organization's bottom line (38 percent). 

If you are looking to implement a wellness program or need help enhancing an existing program, contact us. We take a comprehensive approach to wellness that is custom-tailored to your organization. We have worked with numerous companies to develop innovative programs that utilize cutting-edge wellness trends and research that positively impact the bottom line.

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Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.