Wellness at Work Pays Off

But you must motivate employees to take part

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The cost of absenteeism

Multiply your payroll by 0.15 to estimate the cost of absenteeism – when employees are paid but not at work, says Deanna Moncrief, of Benchmark Wellness.

 

Wellness and your bottom line

Studies have shown that worksite wellness can result in:

25.3%
Reduction in Sick Leave

26.5%
Reduction in Health-Care Costs

40.7%
Reduction in Workers’ Compensation costs24.2%

24.2%
Reduction in Disability Management

Source: “Proof Positive: An Analysis of the Cost-Effectiveness of Worksite Wellness,” by Larry Chapman, chairman of Summex Corp., which provides health-management services to employers, hospitals and managed-care organizations.

 

What’s the Cost?

“A good rule of thumb is that a successful wellness program will cost between $100 to $400 per employee per year.”

-Deanna Moncrief, principal,
Benchmark Wellness

 

Calculate Your Wellness ROI

Visit www.wellstep.com and click on Tools to use the ROI Calculator for healthcare costs to find if a wellness program makes sense for your company. You can also calculate the costs of absenteeism and presenteeism (that’s when your workers aren’t absent, but they’re not working).

 

Ways to Make Wellness Pay Off

Tap into your insurance plan’s willingness to pay for wellness:

• Create a benefit plan design so wellness can be cost neutral. For example: Raise your benefit cost by $100 to $200 per employee. Some worksites will split the cost with the employee. This extra money is your wellness budget. The catch is, employees who participate can get their money back at the end of the year in cash, premium reductions or other incentives. Employees who do not participate will not get their money back. In essence, nonparticipants pay for the wellness programs.

• Create worksite policies and environmental changes that support health.

• Use the right wellness message to increase participation, improve morale and enhance engagement.

• Make use of all your free community resources.

Source: Wellness Council of America

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