Benefits of Workplace Wellness Programs

Workplace Wellness Programs are crucial to improving the health of our nations. Most 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 employees to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Benefits to Workplace Wellness Programs include:

• Weight reduction

• Enhanced physical fitness

• Improved stamina

• Lower levels of stress

• Improved well-being, self-image and self-esteem 

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

• Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy employees

• Decreased healthcare costs

• Decreased rates of illness and injuries

• Decreased worker absenteeism

• Enhanced worker relations and morale

• Enhanced productivity 

A United States Department of Health and Human Services report revealed that at worksites with physical activity initiatives as components of their Workplace Wellness Programs have: 

• Decreased healthcare 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 increased. 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.