Published December 2000

Wellness programs good
for employees, businesses

Today, more and more employers are recognizing the importance of having a wellness program for their employees. However, there also is a corporate mind set that says people should be accountable for their own health and it shouldn’t be the responsibility of the employer to keep them healthy. To a certain degree, both sides are right.

It would be great to have employees eat right, exercise on a regular basis, use stress reduction techniques, go to their physician for preventive exams, etc. This sounds good on the surface, but the fact is, this is not happening.

Today, Americans are some of the most unhealthy people in the world. As a nation, we rank near the bottom in terms of overall health, even though we have the best health care and technology in the world.

Whether employers want to provide wellness programs to their employees or not, the fact is, wellness programs can improve employee health, help reduce the rising cost of health care, reduce sick leave, injuries, etc.

Wellness programs also can promote a stronger bond between employees and employer that can significantly reduce employee turnover and provide a good recruitment strategy for the organization.

Regardless of whether you are looking to provide a wellness program for your employees or don’t believe wellness programs pay for themselves, here are some case studies. These studies may help to validate the importance of wellness in your workplace and influence the amount of money you are spending related to the poor health of your employees.

• According to the Wellness Councils of America, more than 81 percent of America’s businesses with 50 or more employees have some form of a health promotion program.
• At the Du Pont Corp., each dollar invested in workplace health promotion yielded a $1.42 cost-to-benefit ratio in lower absenteeism costs over the course of more than two years.
• The Travels Corp. experienced a $3.40 return for every dollar invested in health promotion.
• Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Co. in Las Vegas experienced a cost-to-benefit ratio of $1.68-to-$1 as a result of their health promotion program.
• Superior Coffee and Foods in Bensenville, Ill., experienced 22 percent fewer admissions to a hospital, 29 percent shorter hospital stays and 42 percent lower expenses per admission for employees participating in their wellness program.
• Employees at Berk-Tec, a small manufacturing company in Lancaster, Penn., experienced a 24 percent reduction in health-care costs for employees as a result of the implementation of a wellness program.

Wellness in the workplace can make good business sense and also provide a great benefit to employees.

Ron Burt, M.Ed., is the Manager of Prevention Services at Providence Everett Medical Center. If you have a question you’d like answered in this column regarding health issues in your work environment, send them to George Cozzetto, M.D., Providence Health System, c/o Marketing Communications, P.O. Box 1147, Everett, WA 98206 or e-mail to gcozzetto@providence.org.

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