Corporate Wellness Programs are crucial to improving the health of our nations. Most adults spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, making it a excellent venue for promoting healthful habits. The worksite organizational culture and environment are powerful influences on behavior and this needs to be put to use as a way of assisting workers to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Benefits to Corporate Wellness Programs include:
• Weight reduction
• Improved physical fitness
• Raised stamina
• Lower levels of stress
• Raised well-being, self-image and self-esteem
Employers can also benefit from Corporate Wellness Programs. According to recent research, employers’ benefits are:
• Improved recruitment and retention of healthy workers
• Reduced health care costs
• Decreased rates of illness and injuries
• Reduced employee rates of absence
• Improved employee relations and morale
• Increased productivity
A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report revealed that at worksites with physical activity programs as components of their Corporate Wellness Programs have:
• Reduced health care costs by 20 to 55%
• Reduced short-term sick leave by six to 32%
• Raised productivity by two to 52%
Thanks to modern medicine, life expectancy for Americans has continually improved. How much we enjoy these additional years, however, depends greatly on how we have lived our lives. If our quality of life is to remain high so that we can fully enjoy these extra years, we must practice good eating habits, be active and refrain from using tobacco products.
