John Bates creates workplace wellness programs and gives some definitive statistics below about what employers can expect from an employee wellness program.

A worksite wellness program is an organized initiative to assist and support staff members in establishing healthier lifestyles. This may include enhancing employee awareness on health topics, providing behavior modification initiatives, and/or establishing corporate policies that support health-related goals and objectives. Wellness programs and policies that promote increased physical activity, smoking cessation and prevention, and healthy food choices are a few examples.

The Dimensions of Wellness
Wellness is more than simply being healthy. The dimensions of wellness may include:

• Spiritual Dimension of Wellness
• Emotional Dimension of Wellness
• The Social Dimension of Wellness
• Intellectual Dimension of Wellness
• The Physical Dimension of Wellness

The dimensions of wellness are sometimes depicted as a “wellness wheel” with examples of the components of wellness that include nutrition, fitness purpose of life, financial planning, social connections & support systems, mind-body health, stress management continued learning and career planning. The key to individual wellness is maintaining a balanced “wellness wheel”. A truly comprehensive health promotion/wellness program addresses most, if not all, of these dimensions of wellness.

Why Provide a Workplace Health Promotion Program?

Employees spend a great deal of their time at work, and research continues to show that our long-standing work-week is expanding. In fact, the average U.S. adult now works almost 47 hours per week. Further, technologies such as laptop computers, mobile phones, voice and email have blurred the boundary between work-life and home-life. These realities decrease the amount of time that the average person is able to devote to health and wellness activities, and yet staff members are expected to be at their peak performance when on the job.

A study by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses found that Corporate Wellness Programs are successful in assisting staff members make positive health changes due to numerous factors such as environmental support, convenience and social or co-worker acceptance.

What’s the Connection between Health and Wellness and the Workplace?

Corporate Wellness Programs and Policies that promote healthy behaviors can make a significant impact on employee wellness AND have an impact on the corporation’s bottom line. Research studies have shown that for every dollar invested by companies in Corporate Wellness Programs, there were savings ranging from $1.49 to $4.91 with the average health promotion/wellness program return-on-investment being $3.14. In businesses terms, that’s more than a 3:1 minimum wellness return-on-investment – a number that is impossible to ignore, and a best practice that should warrant serious consideration from companies. In fact, a Workplace Wellness program literature review posted in Health Promotion Practitioner Journal found:

• 19 different research studies found a 28.3% reduction in sick time
• 16 different research studies found a 5.6:1 return-on-investment
• 23 different research studies found a 26.1% reduction in health care costs
• 4 different research studies found a 30% reduction in direct health care and workers’ compensation claims

There is little doubt that a Workplace Health Promotion Program targeted to meet a corporation’s specific needs can save money by reducing absenteeism, reducing health care costs, reducing employee turnover, and enhancing productivity.