As businesses struggle to reverse the trend of rising health care costs, wellness and exercise programs are becoming essential to their economic livelihood. By implementing wellness programs, companies can not only aid in decreasing their insurance and compensation costs, but also reap the reward of healthier employees. Today's organizations believe that their support of positive health habits is an important contribution to the overall culture of their business. Whether they offer in-house fitness facilities, subsidize gym memberships, or offer their employees educational courses on nutrition and smoking cessation, companies are finding that any investment in wellness is worth its weight in gold.
A study by American Sports Data, Inc., found that, on average, frequent exercisers among health-club patrons were absent from work only 2.11 days per year, compared to 3.06 days for inactive individuals. Researchers believe that exercise helps to boost the immune system and increase strength, thus resulting in fewer incidences of absenteeism due to sickness or injury.
The most obvious benefit of a corporate fitness program is that it allows companies to reduce their overall health care costs, in part by reducing the total number of medical claims that they have to field each year. The U.S. Surgeon General reports that 75% of all illnesses can be attributed to lifestyle-related causes, and that 53% of America's population is "inactive". The more a business can help employees avoid illness and disease and manage their own health, the more it can manage its own healthcare costs each year.
Although not easy to measure as a reduction in healthcare costs, employee productivity can have a considerable impact on an organization and its profitability. Corporate wellness programs tend to improve overall morale, as participating employees feel better both about themselves and their companies. Such programs lead to a more energetic, positive, and productive workplace, thus strengthening a company and helping to position it for success. Healthy employees work better and, in turn, provide gains for the company/organization.
