Promoting Employee Wellness Yields Substantial Business Returns

Do the companies you work with actively promote health and well-being in the workplace? If the answer is no, they’re not alone. According to a survey by Right Management, a subsidiary of Manpower Inc., less than half of the nearly 30,000 employees surveyed worldwide work for organizations with wellness programs in place. This is mainly because of the commonly held, though misconstrued, interpretation of employee wellness as little more than an HR concern without any real business significance. In other words, that wellness is good for employees but not critical to the company as a whole.

Yet this begs the question: How can something be good for employees and not be critical to business? In the last few years, numerous case studies and research – much of which has been carried out by the World Economic Forum – have redefined wellness from a “non-core HR or welfare responsibility” to a strategic priority. Investments in employee wellness lower health care premiums and increase productivity. The bottom line is that healthy, active employees are happy, productive employees, and wellness programs have been proven to increase employee engagement, creativity, and innovation. And when employees are healthy, the company saves financially as absenteeism and healthcare premiums drop.

So how – armed with the knowledge that employee wellness is a powerful strategic tool that yields substantial business returns – does one incorporate wellness into the workplace? As professionals in the insurance services industry, it’s our job to put innovative, efficient and financially sound ideas into practice.

The best wellness solutions are holistic in approach. Health and well-being should be one of a company’s core values, and whether included in the company mission statement or not, should be deeply rooted within the company’s day-to-day operations.

This means promoting healthy lifestyles in a way that addresses both employees’ physical and emotional needs, such as offering employees online health information, e-coaching classes with qualified health instructors, interactive tools that track individual progress, meal planners, and an online library of health articles. For a more hands-on approach, a company could offer employees CPR training through the American Red Cross, free flu shots every fall, and the option to participate in health awareness sessions.

While it’s important to emphasize the importance of health and well-being, it’s also important that wellness doesn’t make employees feel it’s an extension of their workday. Part of a company’s business success stems from employees feeling good, not overworked. It’s good to plan activities and events each year that are a source of entertainment, as well as physical activity, for employees. The key is to set these programs up in a way that does not offend, embarrass or otherwise antagonize employees.

Some of Alper’s most successful campaigns are competitions like “Walk the Talk!” and a “Biggest Loser” contest, based on the popular television show on NBC. About 63 percent of our employees participate, and morale is noticeably higher as the employees compete and encourage one another to put their best foot forward.

For each activity, employees are split into teams and prizes (cash or a half-day vacation) are offered to the individual and team that worked the hardest. For “Walk the Talk,” employees were invited to clip a wireless activity monitor onto their shoes and walk as much as possible for one month. At the end of the day, employees could check their daily steps by logging into their accounts online. Alper’s employees averaged about 5,000 steps per day, and many exceeded 150,000 steps during the four-week period.

The “Biggest Loser” contest worked similarly. For three months, employees and their teams tried to lose the highest percentage of body weight. Weigh-ins took place every Monday and results (weight loss percentages, not pounds) were posted in the kitchen for added excitement and inspiration.

When employees’ quality of life improves, so does their productivity. The reality is that there are endless ways to promote wellness, and it doesn’t necessarily mean spending a lot of time or money. The key is to ensure that your programs are strategic, year-round and fun for everyone.