What are the Benefits of Corporate Wellness Programs?
The Background
People who work at desks are more likely to be sedentary and at risk of depression. High-stress jobs create workers with a high-level of stress who are at a risk of burnout. Predictable work schedules make for a predictable lifestyle, just as unpredictable shifts and duties that require an employee to always be on call can make for a hectic lifestyle. Corporate wellness programs are an attempt to remedy these problems.
In the 1970s, employers began to notice that employees were impacted not only by their work tasks, but by the wellness their workplace provided (or more often, didn’t provide). Employers who encouraged independence, exercise, and work-life balance received more productivity and job satisfaction from their teams. The return on investment for effective health and wellness programs (aside from having happier and healthier employees) can be measured directly through healthcare costs and productivity gains.
8 Benefits of Corporate Wellness Programs
Corporate wellness programs are now well-known to be beneficial, and much of the workforce has come to demand them. Wellness is necessary for employers competing to attract top talent. Millennials and younger often expect wellness programs alongside health coverage and 401ks. It's not just good press, though the employer reputation for great wellness programs can also yield returns in recruiting and employee retention.
Let's dive into the leading benefits that corporate wellness programs provide to modern employers and teams.
1) Increase Productivity
People are most productive when they are focused, fueled by good nutrition, and full of energy from regular physical activity. We need the mental clarity to pay attention and to problem-solve creatively. We need emotional balance to avoid distraction and preoccupation.
Consider the difference between an ill employee and a healthy team member. Someone with a cold may be stuffy-headed and moving slowly for a few days. On the other hand, someone with worsening health, increased stress, and mental strain can become progressively less productive over time.
Any program that effectively increases physical or mental health of employees will create an across-the-board improvement in productivity. Reduce stress and increase physical energy in your team and you will quickly see results.
2) Decrease Employee Stress & Burnout Risk
Many jobs are stressful by nature, and the pace of modern life can exacerbate this. Those who take on stressful roles must have an effective way to offload that stress or they risk burnout. At every level, stress can impact an employee’s ability to focus and adapt to change. Whether they are anxious about deadlines or have challenging situations at home, reducing that stress also reduces the impact on performance and burnout risk that stress brings.
Corporate wellness programs that focus on meditation, yoga, and physical movement, can help with stress reduction.
3) Reduce Health Problems & Lower Healthcare Costs
Wellness programs at work become part of an employee's lifestyle. Lifestyle changes lead to long-term improvements in health and reduce health complications. Employees who join a fitness program are less likely to develop heart, respiratory, and orthopedic complications. Reduced stress can also result in reduced blood pressure and a lower risk of heart disease. Those who embrace a workplace nutrition wellness program can reduce risks related to poor diet and unhealthy eating habits.
This leads to overall reduced health risk behavior and stronger immune systems. Employees visit the doctor proactively and get ill less. Over time, they are less likely to develop heart problems, diabetes, and other systemic conditions. This, lastly, means less use of health insurance and savings for everyone, and the savings can be substantial. One Harvard Business School piece states that “Employers spend 200-300% more on the indirect costs of poor health than they do on health benefits.”
4) Boost Employee Engagement & Job Satisfaction
Happy hours are the typical go-to team building activities, but they can have unintended consequences. Anyone with addiction or substance abuse issues can’t participate, and those who do participate might not be at their best the following day. It eats into employee’s free time where they might otherwise exercise or unwind. Looking for a Zoom happy hour alternative?
Alternative methods for engaging employees can also help improve their health as well. Lunchtime yoga -- according to Zest survey data of over 1000 employees -- is considered by 89% to be the most high-value company perk offered. Because it’s company-sponsored, employees claim they feel less “guilty” participating and are more likely to get their exercise into their workday. Guided meditation in the mornings or late afternoon can help a team feel centered and united each day.
When HR leaders and innovative businesses provide dynamic corporate wellness programs (like live fitness, yoga, and meditation classes), employees feels cared for. Wellness programs tell new hires that they've found a nurturing workplace to join. Employees feel cared for when programs adapt and evolve to their needs and interests. (Wellness program providers like Zest can facilitate this). The more beneficial and enjoyable your corporate wellness programs are, the more employees will engage with the company and their team, and the happier they will feel in their roles. After surveying thousands of employees, Zest has found that 97.8% of all employees surveyed believe live wellness programming positively impacts their work experience.
5) Raise Team Camaraderie & Employee Morale
Your team is more likely to really get to know each other and support each other when brought together by corporate wellness programs. Exercising, eating, and meditating together build a camaraderie that brings people together through shared experiences. From high-energy bootcamp-style classes to more serious self-reflective meditation classes, these shared non-work-related experiences strengthen both team morale and cohesion.
6) Decrease Lost Hours & Absenteeism
Wellness programs have been found to decrease employee absenteeism caused by poor physical and mental health or unstable life schedules. Employees who are stressed to the point of burnout may simply fail to come into the office. Employees struggling with work-life balance may be inconsistent and struggle to maintain a routine.
The right corporate wellness programs can help to relieve that stress and restore the work-life balance -- even if work has been consuming and circumstances are stressful. Allowing your employees time to rest and helping them do so with the right programs can be hugely beneficial.
7) Improve Mental Health
Employee mental health is often an unspoken issue to be handled behind respectfully closed doors -- if mentioned at all. Still, we all have mental health challenges and everyone struggles, at one point or another, with mental wellbeing. The key is to provide resources for employees to self-manage their mental health and embrace practices that support balance and wellness.
Meditation, for example, is beneficial to many whether they struggle with work stress or a more personal internal type of stress. Mental health services and access to private online therapists can also support your workforce's mental health while respecting each person's individual privacy. Meditation apps can help support an employee's individual meditation practice, but we find that live classes (held online through a platform like Zoom, or in-person in the office “wellness room”) have the added benefits of fostering feelings of connection and community.
8) Make A Special Place to Work & Improve Employee Retention
Last but not least, corporate wellness programs have a tendency to attract more eager job recruits and increase employee retention. Wellness perks are in high demand in the modern workforce. They are expected and many professionals expect employers to take responsibility for healthy employee lifestyles.
By offering great programs, you create a draw for new hires who want a nurturing environment and you encourage your current team to stay longer with your positive work environment. Reduce turnover, extend retention, and nurture professional growth inside the company with the stability created by great wellness programs, for example onsite or live-streaming fitness, meditation and yoga classes..
Building a Corporate Wellness Program for Your Team
The benefits of a corporate wellness program are diverse and the best choice for you depends on what you want to focus on. On one hand, corporate wellness is one of the most effective ways to change employee health-related behaviors for the better - something that is hard to do any other way. On the other hand, wellness programs ROI quite nicely through healthcare costs because of this positive impact. Employees demand wellness programs and love them when implemented. No matter how you slice it, the right stack of corporate wellness programs provides benefits across the board.
To explore the ideal stack of corporate health and wellness programs for your team and business, contact us today!