Top Reasons to Include a Wellness Program for Your Employees

Wellness is more than simply being not ill. It means keeping one’s body in the pink of health so it works efficiently for longer. Offering your employees a route to wellness is not just going to benefit them, it will also benefit your organisation in the long run. Today, many companies invest a lot in employee wellness programs. This is one of the most important ways to improve your company’s work culture.

Here are the top reasons to include a wellness program for your employees.

Minimised healthcare expenses

In today’s scenario, healthcare is one of the most expensive essential services. Companies that offer healthcare aid to their employees have to combat the rise in the cost of these services. Because of this, higher healthcare expenses is one of the challenges faced by small business owners. Organising a wellness program instead can help reduce your firm’s expenditure on healthcare. As the saying goes, ‘Prevention is better than cure’ – in this case, it is also more cost effective. When employees’ health is constantly monitored and their well-being is taken care of, consider your healthcare expenses minimised.

Better employee attendance

With every season comes a plethora of infections and cases of flu that have a huge impact on your employees’ attendance. High stress can cause many issues like migraines and increase in blood pressure. With a wellness program in place, employees will not fall ill as frequently which in turn will have a positive effect on their attendance. A wellness plan that helps employees get rid of their smoking habits will also benefit the firm – no smoking means no smoke breaks!

Increased Productivity

The core aim of having a wellness program for employees is to promote a healthy lifestyle. This is implemented by educating them, conducting activities or providing incentives. It has been scientifically proven that a healthy employee is a more productive one. A healthy and stress-free employee will have better concentration, more energy and in turn, will be able to produce excellent results at work. When employees perform consistently well, the firm as a whole will be able to see great progress. This is an important by-product of having an employee wellness plan.

Good workplace morale

A healthy employee is a happy employee. Your company’s productivity tends to increase by great amounts if the workplace is  a positive and encouraging environment. When they put in hours of hard work, the only thing they expect from the firm is care and support. So when the management shows that they care by bringing in wellness plans to keep its employees happy, healthy and stress-free, they will push their limits and maximise productivity. An employee who is taken care of well by the company will take ownership of his or her work. This is a very valuable attitude to possess in a workplace. The loyalty of employees is something worth earning. This is an intangible benefit to the company. Apart from better performance, this can also reduce attrition.

A good promotion

What makes a firm good or bad is the reputation it holds. One of the most important factors that hamper a firm’s reputation is the information passed around by its employees. When a firm takes good care of its employees, it means there will not be any disgruntled ones,thus keeping the firm’s reputation intact. When candidates look for employment opportunities, apart from the job role, they consider applying based on the benefits the firm provides. Today, people pay more attention to their health, fitness and mental peace. So a firm with a favourable wellness program will attract a good set of new recruits and fresh talent.

What you should include in your wellness plan

If you are ready to start a wellness program for your employees but aren’t sure how to, there are a few steps you can take to get started. To begin with, the prime focus of a wellness program should be cessation. Slowly, these programs can also include weight loss courses, diet plans and programs for your employees’ emotional well-being.

With individuals becoming more and more health conscious by the day, some companies even go the extra mile to provide them with wearable fitness trackers and integrate it into their systems. This way they can set goals and push themselves towards a fitter lifestyle.

While having such wellness programs seem like they will have a great impact on the firm, the biggest challenge is the execution. It takes strong reinforcement and good commitment to reap the desired results out of it. Wellness programs need not be restricted to mental and physical health. Firms can also hold sessions that strengthen employees’ financial well-being. So implement a wellness program for your employees and watch your firm’s productivity go up.