Good Research Paper On Wellness Program

Jane Doe

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Abstract

Popularity of corporate wellness programs are increasing throughout North American companies. The plan of these programs is to improve the company’s condition through making the employees healthier. As the implementation of the wellness programs began, several benefits associated directly to the healthier employee base of companies was emerging. The focus of the paper is to make note of the changes in employee performance and health benefit costs of incorporating health through the wellness program encouraged by employers. The findings show that both the performance of employees increased as well as their health. The collaboration of good health and clear focus on at the workplace resulted in less absenteeism, decreases in sick days and illnesses, fewer workman’s comp cases and several more that are covered in the essay. The financial investment of building the corporate wellness programs have proven to leave most companies better off financially than prior to program application.
The emergence of wellness programs in corporations throughout North America are increasing in popularity as the benefits are recognized by both employees and management. The focus of the paper will provide an understanding of how these wellness programs have shown improvements in employee performance as well as the health benefit costs associated with the implementation of the corporate wellness program. The progress made since the increase in wellness programs in the workplace is proving to be a wise financial decision on part of the organizations willing to adapt to the focus of preventative care management for their employee base versus the method of treatment-centered care. The increased employee productivity helps the company to function at an elevate rate. The decreased health costs are also an additional financial benefit to corporations as liability associated with unhealthy employees begins to drop.

Employee Performance

Employee performance advances have been noted by the majority of companies who provide the wellness program to their workers. When people have a healthier lifestyle, the mindsets along with their physical condition are more efficient. The employee who is feeling good has better focus and motivation throughout his or her workday. Stress can decrease the quality of performance when their minds are occupied on things other than their work. Addictions to alcohol and substance abuse rise under stress. These stress related issue will then create situations where employees are absent from work or may need to be replaced. Reduction of stress levels are shown to change for the better when exercise or involvement of enjoyable extracurricular activities is a part of one’s life. For example, if a company sponsors a team of employees to participate in a softball league, the comradery between the employees is likely to become beneficial on the job site. Many gains have shown to occur in relation to the wellness programs. The Natural Healthcare Canada website provides many statistics on proof of increased performance. One fact that the website reports is of Canada Life Insurance who shows a return of $3.43 on their fitness program and an overall return on investment of $6.85 on each dollar the organization spends on their wellness program. (Natural Health Care Canada, 2004). 

Extended Health Benefit Cost

The next valuable outcome that these wellness programs have created is the extended health benefit costs that are occurring in a large percentage of employees who utilize the programs offered through their jobs. The health of employees is crucial to the condition of the company, its liability and financial burden caused by the sickly employees. A properly devised program cost a company approximately $7-15 per month, if an employee took one less sick day out of the typical seven days provided a savings of $17 per month per employee is possible (Tryggvason, 2014). Many financial gains come about from the investment placed in the corporate wellness program. According to Benefits Canada (2014), “Researchers found that the disease management program reduced costs among participants by US$136 per member per month, or US$1,632 annually, driven by a 29% drop in hospital admissions.” Companies will find that the overall bottom line cost will be reduced when health insurance premiums are lowered by the improved health of the employee base of the company.
The cost of unhealthy employees is not just felt through the high medical cost of the individual, but also leads back to the quality in performance. No one who is suffering with health conditions is functioning at their best, and this fact is extremely detrimental for the company in terms of employee work output.

References

 Benefits Canada. (2014). Wellness programs reduce some costs. Retrieved from
http://www.benefitscanada.com/benefits/health-wellness/wellness-programs-reduce-some-costs-48243
 Natural Health Care Canada. (2004). Benefits of Implementing a Workplace Wellness
Program. Retrieved from http://naturalhealthcare.ca/benefits_of_a_wellness_program.phtml
Tryggvason, K. (2014, June). The ROI on Health and Wellness Programs. HR Voice.org, (), .
Retrieved from http://www.hrvoice.org/the-roi-on-health-and-wellness-programs/