An effective employee wellness program will provide a 300-600% ROI over a three-year period through decreased healthcare, sick time and disability costs, as well as improved recruitment, retention and employee engagement. The result of this research has been a two-fold increase in the number of organizations that have launched wellness programs for their employees in just the past year.

Employers have a tremendous interest in health-related issues because employers and their employees are the major purchasers of health insurance today. They both also are shouldering the ever-growing burden of paying for medical interventions to diagnose and treat preventable diseases. Here are some sobering facts to consider:

• U.S. healthcare costs doubled from 1990 to 2001 and are projected to double by 2012 Source: Partnerships for Prevention (an organization of CEO's dedicated to health promotion advocacy, www.prevent.org)
• Four of the ten most costly health conditions affecting employers are related to heart disease and stroke. Employees with heart disease and heart disease risk factors cost employers thousands of dollars more than healthy employees each year through higher insurance. Source: Goetzel, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 1998
• "Of the $5000 per employee the average employer spent on health care in 2001, more than 95% was spent on diagnosis and treatment, with maybe 2-3% being invested in early detection (screenings) and no more than 1-2% in prevention. This reactive approach persists despite evidence that up to 50% of health care expenditures are life-style related and therefore potentially preventable." Source: David Anderson, PhD reporting in Wellness Councils of America's Absolute Advantage 2003
• Each smoker costs an employer an additional $3,856 a year in health-care costs and lost productivity. Source: Billings Gazette December 10, 2005
• Nationwide smoking attributable productivity losses from 1997-2001 cost $92 billion. Source: Centers for Disease Control, June 2005
• The National Safety Council stated that in 1996, backaches alone cost industry more than $1.2 billion in production and services and $275 million in worker's compensation. Source: The American Council on Exercise, ACE Fitness Matters, January/February 2006

Employee Wellness Makes Corporate Fiscal Sense

 How do company wellness programs affect a business's bottom line? Does the benefit exceed the cost of the program? There is more and more research on the fiscal advantage of providing a corporate wellness program. Here are some findings:

• Employers who invest in worksite health promotion programs can see a return of $3-$6 for every dollar invested over a 2-5 year period. Documented savings are observed in medical costs, absenteeism, worker's comp claims, short-term disability and presenteeism (lower on-the-job efficiency due to employee health problems.)
  Source: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, December 2005
• There are over 600 articles that analyze the research and anecdotal evidence of the cost-effectiveness of worksite wellness programs. In a review of 42 of these articles, there has been shown to be a:
  • 28% reduction in sick leave absenteeism
  • 26% reduction in use of the health care benefit
  • 30% reduced worker's comp clams and disability management
  • Reduced presenteeism losses
  Source: Larry Chapman, "Meta-evaluation of Worksite Health Promotion Economic Return Studies", The American Journal of Health Promotion, 2003
• A recent study showed that corporate fitness center participants had 1.3 days fewer short-term disability claims per year per employee than non-participants and had fewer health risks. Source: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, April 2006
• On average, health care claim costs for IBM employees who exercise 1- 2 times a week are $350 a year less than those who don't exercise at all. Source: Joyce Young, IBM's Well-Being Director in BenefitNews.com March, 2006

Employee Wellness Makes Corporate Common Sense

The bottom line is important but there are many studies documenting the intangible advantages of a corporate wellness program. Here are some of the conclusions:

• A wellness program can enhance and support an organization's core values and culture.
• There is a documented relationship between healthy employees and worker productivity.
• A recent study of 200 people at 3 major corporations revealed that an employee's quality of life, mental performance, and time management was 15% better on days when they exercised.
• A wellness program that contains a component on self-care and proper use of the health insurance benefit leads to a more cost-conscious work force.
• A high quality fitness and wellness program is an employee recruitment and retention tool. As more employers add wellness programs and on-site fitness centers to their benefit package, it is important to stay current and competitive.
• Nearly 60% of all companies and 95% of large companies have programs designed to encourage individuals to take some responsibility for their health.
• People spend more time at work today than any other place - employers can use this captive audience to make some serious healthy behavior changes.

Now that you know the facts where do you start?

That's where we come in. We design and coordinate specialized wellness programs to fit your specific organizational needs. Unlike national programs that design unpersonalized mass programs, we are a located in Cleveland, Ohio area and only serve companies that are in the area. We also believe in partnering and collaborating with other local health and wellness businesses to maximize your results. Fill out the form below, we will contact you to set up a free consultation and we handle the rest!  Everything from teaching fitness classes, organizing walking clubs, creating "healthy" newsletters for employees, marketing the program to the employees, finding sponsors to donate prizes, scheduling preventative tests, negotiating group contracts with fitness facilities and anything else that needs to go into creating an awesome program for your employees. Prices are even negotiable we will find a way to make it work for you.  You tell us what you want and we make it happen!

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