Workplace Wellness - Companies Make Employee Health Their Business

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Employers are putting a special emphasis on workplace wellness; they recognize the importance of promoting a healthier lifestyle for their employees.  Towers Perrin’s annual Health Care Cost Survey reports employers will pay about 6% more per employee for the year, an estimate of about $9,144.  Employers now are finding that promoting corporate wellness programs focuses on keeping employees healthier as well as the cost of health care down.  The emphasis in healthcare previously was on treatment of acute illnesses, however, there is currently a shift towards prevention.  This is a result of many chronic illnesses influenced by lifestyle management including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.  While workplace wellness will help keep healthcare costs down, they also encourage retention of employees as well as improving productivity.
Corporate wellness programs are not necessarily a new idea; however, employers are now realizing how prevention may possibly be the key to reduce cost of their employee healthcare.  American Specialty Health (ASH) Incorporated offers health coaching, fitness, weight management, and other health improvement programs.  Other companies are following the latest corporate wellness trends including AstraZeneca with their own spin on “The Biggest Loser” and WhiteWave Foods motivates their employees by offering free on-site yoga classes.  The Cleveland Clinic, through their wellness program, focuses on weight management, physical activity, and stress management.
In addition, the Cleveland Clinic implemented a program a policy where they will no longer hire employees who smoke.  Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, the clinic’s wellness manager states “This is a strong move on our part, but we really want to be the leaders with wellness.  We don’t see that we can be the leaders unless we enforce something like this. It’s also really important to us that our employees that are currently here that smoke get into a tobacco treatment program so we can help them to quit smoking, and it’s important to us that we begin to eliminate the smokers on our employee roster as well.”  The Cleveland Clinic aims to eliminate any type of barrier in order for their employees to get active, eat healthier, and work with stress management.
Schaeffer, J. (2008, July). Workplace wellness — companies make employee health their business. Today’s Dietitian, (10)7, 34.

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