June is the fourth annual National Employee Wellness Month. Over 140 organizations and their 65,000 employees are participating. The goal of the initiative is to encourage business leaders to learn about successful health strategies.
Here is an explanation by month’s sponsors:
[National Employee Wellness Month] showcases how supportive social communities, such as the workplace, can help to improve employee health and productivity and lower healthcare costs, and how leveraging an individual’s social connections helps create and sustain a workplace culture of health.
Prevention is a key factor motivating corporate wellness programs. If an employer encourages healthy lifestyle choices for its employees, the workplace is likely to pay less in insurance costs.
US Virgin Health Miles, an official sponsor of the initiative, conducted a survey asking 772 employers across the nation about their corporate wellness programs. The survey concluded the following:
Findings: More Employers Offering Employee Health and Wellness Programs; Reducing Healthcare Costs is Top Priority
- 83% of organizations say they offer employee health and wellness benefits
- Top priorities include: reducing healthcare costs (81%), creating a culture of health (70%), and improving workforce productivity (40%)
- Top three types of programs offered: smoking cessation (60%), health risk assessments (58%), and physical activity programs (67%)
- More than 89% of employees say an employer’s range of health and wellness benefits are either “very” or “somewhat” important in their choice of employer
(Source: employeewelnessmonth.com)
The survey demonstrates an encouraging trend -- employers and employees alike are prioritizing health.
Want to get involved? It’s not too late! Organize an office-wide walk, encourage co-workers to run a 5K run benefiting a local charity or invite a yoga instructor to provide a lunchtime lesson. Want more ideas? Read our blog post discussing the benefits of corporate wellness or call your local Push Pedal Pull representative to discuss fitness solutions for your workplace.