3 Benefits Of Implementing Health And Wellness Programs For Companies

The important thing for a company has always been the cost-benefit ratio. Some, in their purpose of  increasing those benefits and reducing costs as much as possible, have endangered the health of employees. Numerous physical and psychological problems have appeared associated with a growing demand that sought to increase production or yield.

The fact is that some companies do not perceive this discomfort as their own problem. That is, they believe that intervening to solve this problem would cost more than the possible benefits of solving it. However, the evidence highlights the opposite. In fact, more and more companies are investing money in promoting the health and well-being of their employees … Find out why!

How should health and wellness programs be for companies?

Since profitability is always sought in companies, there are a series of recommendations to take into account if you want to maximize the investment made in a program of this style. On the one hand, incentives can be offered to employees. In this way, workers could increase their interest in carrying out a program of these characteristics.

Incentives do not have to translate into a salary increase. An improvement in working conditions or a discount on some products that employees are interested in can also act as incentives. In any case, it is best to establish them rigorously, since once these incentives are created, it will be difficult to eliminate them. In addition, to facilitate adherence to the program it is positive to use a goal system.

On the other hand,  a good idea is to provide the tools and resources necessary for effective health and wellness programs to be implemented. Although these are of a group nature, it is positive that they are adapted to the individual needs of the employees. Finally, it is advisable to promote them among employees and support them from managers, taking well-being as one of the pillars of the company.

What benefits do these health and wellness programs bring to the company?

Apart from the advice that can be taken into account when starting this type of health and wellness programs, it is important to highlight the benefits they report, both for the company itself and for its employees. First, they lead to a reduction in medical costs by approximately 15%. In other words, for every dollar spent on the program, employee health-related costs decrease by about $3.27.

With these programs, workers also acquire the idea that their company cares about their personal well-being, so that they feel more satisfied at work. Thus, it increases the motivation of the workers and the commitment to the organization. In this way and as a consequence, it improves customer satisfaction, productivity, profits and the occurrence of work accidents, among others.

Let us think that, for example in Spain, the annual cost for work absenteeism, either due to psychological problems such as stress or due to physical problems, exceeds 61,000 million euros. This figure could be considerably reduced if these health and wellness programs were implemented in companies.

Specifically, the estimated savings is $2.73 for every dollar spent on this type of program. In this way, workers would be healthier and would be absent less from their jobs.

Apart from the benefits already mentioned, it would also reduce the conflict of presenteeism. Presentism refers to employees continuing to work after their working hours have ended; a habit that, far from increasing productivity, leads to a loss of productivity that costs 2.5 times more than medical expenses.

What we have told in this article is only a small sketch of the benefits that companies can achieve by investing in the health of their workers. Benefits that perhaps in the short term may seem like costs, but that in the long run will make the company loved and appreciated by both customers and the people who work for it.

Images courtesy of Brooke Cagle, Maroquotodien Plus, and Breather.