The average American is fat and getting fatter. The average American also works. Employers large and small cannot afford to separate who their employees are from the work they do. People bring who they are into the office. They aren’t automatons. If they are depressed outside the workplace, they’ll be depressed in the workplace. If they have problems with alcohol or drugs, the problems will show in their performance. If they are overweight and out of shape, you better believe it affects how well they do their job. Normally, I find statistics boring, because, well they’re statistics. However, when discussing the problems of a sick, fat, flabby workforce, I’ll make an exception. So, here are a few facts to chew on:
USA Obesity Rates Reach Epidemic Proportions
196 Million Overweight or Obese
Eight out of 10 people over the age of 25 are Overweight
78% of American's mostly sedentary
Cost of Lost Productivity - $221.4 Million Annually
Workdays lost: $39.3 Million
Physician office visits: $62.7 Million
Restricted Activity days: $29.9 Million
Bed-Related days: $89.5 Million
Obesity Related Diseases
Obesity on verge of surpassing smoking as #1 cause of preventable death
Obesity increases the risk of illness from about 30 serious medical conditions
Direct health care costs of obesity amount to approximately $100 billion
As you can readily see, the problems facing Americans are also the problems facing American companies. I don’t care if you employ 200,000 people or only 2, the problem is real and getting worse for all of us.
The most frightening thing about the “growing” problems of most Americans is it’s happening despite record amounts of money being spent on fitness related products each year. It seems the more we spend on health the less of it we have. This new glut of spending hasn’t been lost on Corporate America. Corporations are spending millions of dollars a year insuring their workforce. Many have embraced the need for prevention and have started workplace wellness programs, with varying levels of success. Here are some facts regarding the effects of corporate wellness:
Promoting Better Health Pays…
Lower health care claims and overall premiums – 27.7% lower claims
American Journal of Health Promotion, 1994, 8(3), p 216-223.
Revenue generation – generating $8.22 for every dollar invested
Art of Health Promotion, 1998 2(1), p 1-8.
Increase productivity
Reduce absenteeism
Reduce stress and stress related diseases
Higher moral – increase employee loyalty and retention
Attract and retain top-notch employees
Proactive companies are reaping the rewards of a healthier workplace. Given these facts, why aren’t more companies offering some sort of on-site wellness program to their employees? In my experience, the main reason is perceived cost. It’s a fact that the costliest component of any business is its employees. They’re the first to go when money gets tight. When an employer is shown any kind of wellness program for their employees the first thing they do is look at the “cost”. The truth is, most well developed programs pay for themselves within the first few years and save the company money on top of that.
The problem is it takes some time. People don’t get out of shape overnight, and people don’t get into shape overnight either. Employers have itchy trigger fingers. When results can’t be quantified in the first quarter, they start pulling the trigger. The first casualty is almost always an employee benefit. The ironic thing is, if they would stick it out, this employee benefit would actually become a company benefit as well. This is where the right corporate wellness program makes all the difference.
What makes a Corporate Wellness program?
A wise man once said, “Keep it simple stupid!” So, here’s a simple breakdown of the most commonly used corporate wellness models:
The least intrusive corporate wellness programs are those that focus on employee health screenings and the gathering of aggregate health data for the employer. The companies that offer these types of wellness programs usually set up all types of on-site health screenings for the employees. These screenings include breast cancer screens, prostate cancer screens, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, etc. They usually also collect data on the employees general state of health and wellness through various forms of questionnaires that each employee fills out on a regular basis. Many of these programs do also include some form of preventative education for the employees.
The pros to this type of wellness program are the relatively low intrusion into daily business affairs. They also require very little if any involvement from upper level management. They are also less “expensive” than a more comprehensive approach.
The cons are the results from such programs is somewhat stunted, because of the nature of the program itself. These types of wellness programs focus on detection rather than prevention. They are not as preemptive as a more thorough program can be. They are also somewhat redundant. Most of what they offer is included in the companies health insurance plan. The screens can be done through normal insurance chains. The aggregate data gathered is also available through the insurance company. The difference is, the employer must request the information.
The next level of wellness program is usually one that provides some exercise and nutritional guidelines along with the health screening. In most cases it is a corporate membership to a local health club. These range from discounted rates for employees to all the cost of dues being paid by the employer.
The pros to these programs are increased participation by employees. Increased participation means greater results for each employee as well as the employer. In other words, more bang for the buck. They also gender a greater sense of employee loyalty. Employees see such programs as a very desirable benefit and are less likely to take another job at a company that doesn’t offer such benefits.
The cons are, first of all, a greater involvement from upper management. These programs require someone to make decisions about which health club to partner with. They must also negotiate the deal with the health club and keep tabs on employee usage to insure the cost is justified. These programs are also more “expensive” than the less involved ones. The employer also has no control over what kind of instruction their employees are receiving from the staff of the health club. They have no way to tell if the information their employees are receiving is accurate and helpful, or incorrect and therefore potentially damaging or even dangerous.
The third level of corporate wellness programs is the most involved and also the most rewarding to both employee and employer. These programs require a greater initial investment by the employer but they reap much greater benefits almost immediately. These programs are comprised of two primary parts. Number one, an on-site facility for use by employees and their families. Number two, a corporate fitness management company to run the program. These companies should be able to do everything from exercise prescription, diet and nutritional education, and management of the facility, just to name a few. Most employers cringe at the thought of delegating precious office space for exercise equipment. They practically recoil at the initial price tag. There are some common misconceptions about on-site facilities. The first is that they must be a multi-million dollar mega-gym. Another is that only large companies can justify having an on-site facility. Lastly the whole notion that the facility must be right there in the building or employees won’t use it is patently false.
The pros to this third type of corporate wellness program are numerous. Employees are far more likely to take advantage of the program when there are facilities there for them to use. This likelihood increases when there is a corporate wellness company involved in their exercise and nutrition program. The more participating employees the more results. The more results the sooner the program begins to pay off for both employee and employer. With an on-site facility the employer has much greater control of how the program is implemented. Partnering with a management company, the employer can insure that the instructions their employees are receiving are both safe and effective. Employee participation can be very easily monitored with much less effort on the part of upper level management. Employee loyalty is very high when this type of program is in place. Primarily because so few companies offer such a comprehensive program to help insure the health and wellness of their employees. Most employees see this as their employer actually caring for their personal well being. When this type of program is in place, many employees will actually opt for lower pay in order to take part in the wellness program.
The cons are quite simply upfront cost. In the beginning, this type of program is far more costly than the previous two. The saying “You get what you pay for” has never been truer than in the area of corporate wellness. There is also a much greater need for support by upper level management. A program as thorough as this requires time and participation by the big boss.
What Makes a Wellness Program Work?
Statistics have proven that any corporate wellness program yields beneficial results for both employees and the employer. There is one common denominator in every successful corporate wellness program. If the top brass gets involved, the program will be an unqualified success. This should come as no surprise. Since the success or failure of any business is predicated first by the leaders and then by the rank and file, why would a corporate wellness program be any different? When the upper level managers get excited about it, the work force does as well. If it’s perceived to be just another lifeless meaningless gesture by an uncaring management, it will flounder and more than likely eventually fail. Everything starts from the top. If you can get the CEO excited about the program and what it will do not only for the company, but for the people that make the company, just about any wellness program has a better than average chance of succeeding.
Corporate wellness programs are a relatively unknown and untapped commodity, whose worth has yet to be fully realized. Even though they’ve been around since the early 80’s, most of Corporate America ignores their potential. The challenges facing business today require us to take a harder look at what was once seen as fancy perk for big companies with tons of cash on hand. Large or small, every business would be well served by instituting a correctly planned and implemented corporate wellness program. The sky rocketing costs of hiring staff will only grow worse, unless business begins to look outside the box for viable solutions. Corporate wellness is just such a solution.
Dare I Say It?