First, let’s answer the question, what is a wellness program? Healthcare.gov defines a wellness program as a program intended to improve and promote health and fitness usually offered through the workplace sometimes offered directly through insurance companies. These programs usually offer incentives to quit smoking, effectively manage diabetes, maintain a healthy weight, participate in preventative health screenings and more. The goal is to minimize injury and illness while maintaining the health of your workforce through the use of education, support teams, communication and technology.
So why should you consider offering a wellness program?
- Encourage healthy behavior of your employees – probably the most important thing you are trying to do is reduce and change unhealthy behaviors. The goal is to help your employees make better choices leading to healthier employees and a happier workplace.
- Minimize health risks – encouraging physical activity and preventative health screenings can improve the overall health of your workforce. Studies show that employees that participate in wellness programs have a lower rate of heart attacks, strokes and diabetes.
- Reduce healthcare costs – According to numerous studies that have taken place over the past 20 years, the payback on a wellness program is over $3 to $1, that is for every $1 you spend on a wellness program the company saves over $3 due to a reduction in healthcare costs.
- Reduce absenteeism – This is twofold, obviously, when employees are healthy, they miss less work. Additionally, when morale is high – a common side effect of wellness programs – they are much less likely to miss work.
- Improve productivity – When employees are healthy, they are at work and doing their jobs regularly and more effectively. This improved the overall productivity of your team.
- Reduce stress – stress can cause low morale, burnout, time away from work, and people leaving their jobs. Wellness programs provide options for employees to reduce stress and have better focus on their jobs.
Wellness programs are a great way to offer an additional benefit to your employees helping them make healthier choices and build a productive team that will stay in place for years to come.
Employers and employees alike are making wellness a priority. DFA Insurance has access to several wellness plans we can offer in conjunction with your group health plan. If you’d like to learn more, please contact our Customer Service Center at 1-877-358-9523 or visit dfa-insurance.com.
Citations:
Office Libations – 9 Powerful Reasons to Have a Wellness Program in Your Workplace
WellSteps – The 7 Best Reasons to Have a Wellness Program: Benefits of Wellness 2022