Advantages of Corporate Wellness Programs

Corporate Wellness Programs are crucial to improving the health of our nations. The majority of adults spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, making it a excellent venue for promoting healthful habits. The worksite organizational culture and environment are powerful influences on behavior and this needs to be put to use as a method of assisting staff members to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Advantages to Corporate Wellness Programs include:
• Weight reduction
• Enhanced physical fitness
• Improved stamina
• Lower levels of stress
• Improved well-being, self-image and self-esteem

Organizations can also benefit from Corporate Wellness Programs. According to recently published research, employers’ benefits are:

• Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy staff members
• Decreased health care costs
• Decreased rates of illness and injuries
• Decreased staff member rates of absence
• Enhanced staff member relations and morale
• Enhanced productivity

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report revealed that at worksites with physical activity initiatives as components of their Corporate Wellness Programs have:

• Decreased health care costs by 20 to 55 percent
• Decreased short-term sick leave by six to 32 percent
• Improved productivity by two to 52 percent

Thanks to modern medicine, life expectancy for Americans has continually improved. How much we enjoy these additional years, however, depends greatly on how we have lived our lives. If our quality of life is to remain high so that we can fully enjoy these extra years, we must practice good eating habits, be active and refrain from using tobacco products.