“The first wealth is health,” said Ralph Waldo Emerson. Although he was a man who spent more time in nature than in a swivel chair, his message reflects the same drive that”™s pushing wellness programs in the workplace.
From on-site fitness and health clinics, to financial incentives to join a gym or quit smoking, to free yoga classes and massages, to access to nutritionists and web-based dietary tracking tools, companies put a value on employees”™ well-being.
By offering wellness programs, employers seek to control health care costs, and with increased productivity and reduced absenteeism and chronic health conditions, they can get a return on their investment.
“Past studies have shown that for every dollar invested in worksite health promotion, there is a medical cost savings of $3.48 and an absenteeism cost savings of as much as $5.82,” said registered nurse Ann Marie O”™Brien, the Northeast health strategies director of UnitedHealthcare.
The idea isn”™t new: Eileen Fisher, Pitney Bowes and PepsiCo, three companies applauded for wellness programs, have continuously expanded theirs for some 15 years with encouraging reaction from employees, even their participating families.
“When people are healthy and happy they have more to give to their work, their communities, their lives,” said Leslie Ritter, Eileen Fisher”™s wellness leader.
More than 70 percent of employers offering wellness programs believe they”™re effective at reducing medical costs. And some 75 percent say they”™re effective at improving productivity, according to a MetLife study. Today more companies are initiating efforts to prioritize health and provide resources for this return.
“The (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010) jumpstarted it. There are incentives for companies to start these programs,” said Greg Chartier, principal of The Office of Gregory J Chartier, a human resources consulting firm. “The fundamental philosophy behind the act is that, if you take care of yourself, then you”™ll be healthier and if you”™re healthier, you”™ll cost less.”
He said creating an effective program “has to be top-down ”¦ Often because it costs money and you may not see payback for three years, it”™s initially very important for the CEO to be enthusiastic or it”™s hard to convince (an) employee to do it.”
Even still, employees can be hesitant to participate in health risk assessments, fearing their HR managers will view the results. “Early on employees see it as an invasion of privacy like, it”™s not your business if I”™m overweight, I can do my job fine,” Chartier said.
To enhance employees”™ privacy, some employers hire vendors for services. For example, Kerry Flynn Barrett, vice president of human resources at Northern Westchester Hospital, said they hired an external company to do upcoming biometric screenings.
Implementation is more feasible for mid-size companies like Northern Westchester, which has 1,100 full- and part-time workers and 15 wellness committee members including registered dieticians, nurses and physicians. “We have a better opportunity to see and gain results with a larger group of employees,” said Barrett.
Yet she suggested small companies start by encouraging fitness through employee-driven running clubs, for instance.
Doug Ballard is president of HealthSmart Advantage L.L.C., a fitness management and wellness consulting company, and he designed and runs the company gym at Northern Westchester”™s Chappaqua Crossings site.
“We take what the employer”™s currently doing and create motivational benefits to create more awareness and empower people,” Ballard said.
And, financial incentives can be tied to these motivational ones. “It can be anything from a T-shirt to an annual program plan where employees check off (a) series of risk factors they”™ve gotten screened and get $1,000.”
The financial perks are a two-way street, benefitting employers and employees.
“I hear from (employees) all the time that they feel so much better after their massage, acupuncture session or fitness class. We know that stress is a leading cause of disease and dysfunction; everything we offer here aids in reducing stress,” said Ritter.
Eileen Fisher is just shy of 1,000 employees, and 70 percent take advantage of the wellness program.
Each year Eileen Fisher grants $1,000 to full-time employees and $500 to part-time workers to support well-being practices.
“Helping people to take care of themselves is good business and it”™s good for our world,” said Ritter.
