Why should I ask an employee to take care of a customer if I'm not asking him to take care of his own health?
Research has found that employers have benefitted greatly by implementing and maintaining an employee wellness program. Over time, benefits reported by employers include reduced health care related costs, increased productivity, reduced absenteeism and increased employee retention.
Employee wellness programs are an investment into your company's most valuable asset: your workers. Showing employees that you care about their well being boosts employee morale because people are more attracted to a business that appreciates them.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
In 2012, research firm StrategyOne, New York, conducted a study to uncover health and wellness needs and barriers facing small businesses in today’s post-recession business recovery. Information was collected from more than 1,000 small-business owners by Humana Inc., Louisville, KY, and the National Small Business Administration (NSBA), Washington, D.C.
Three of 4 small businesses that offer health and wellness programs find the initiatives positively impact their bottom line.
More than 9 in 10 (93 percent) of the study’s respondents consider their employees’ physical and mental health to be important to their financial results, but only one-third express confidence in their ability to help employees manage their well being.
More than half of the people surveyed maintain that insufficient information is available that pertains to small businesses introducing health and wellness programs. Among companies less than 10 years old, more than six in 10 (63 percent) had already adopted health and wellness programs.
A key factor in small business owners’ decision about whether or not to introduce a health and wellness program rests with employee interest. The study indicates:
● Startups find their employees, many of them younger, prefer and pursue such offerings.
● 85 percent of startups say wellness programs are worth the investment and 63 percent are already adopting such programs.
● Most startups say these programs aid in recruiting and retaining employees. While often focused on physical health, well-being programs can impact mental health too.
● High employee stress is the number one concern for small business decision makers, especially those at smaller companies, with stress levels more than triple other employee well-being concerns.
● Making an effort to better understand this issue and incorporating stress management into wellness offerings will be an important consideration for small business owners moving forward.
● 67 percent of respondents say offering programs that help keep employees healthy would be the best health-related option received by employees.