Corporate wellbeing programs have a simple goal: to improve the health of your employees (and their families). The benefits of offering one, as part of your benefits package, can have a positive impact on your culture, employee retention, and health care costs.
In addition, offering an employee health and wellbeing program can help with:
- Reducing absenteeism and sick days
- Building community across teams
- Improved employee productivity
- Increased employee engagement
The reason why is a glorious “snowball” that builds on itself. An effective wellness program can have significant and positive impacts on both employees and the company overall. With the right approach, employee engagement will improve while boosting their loyalty and lowering healthcare costs. This, in turn, will positively impact company culture and improve retention rates. Employees will be happier, more productive, and more engaged.
As companies continue to implement and invest in more effective and diverse wellness programs, the results speak for themselves. But what are the key indicators of corporate wellness program success? What should you look for to measure ROI?
While there are numerous metrics, recent findings from two insurance companies show improved employee health and cost reductions as key metrics to determine ROI. We’ll focus on those here.
Measuring employee health and wellbeing ROI
UnitedHealthcare found 82% of employees who participated in their company’s wellness program were “motivated to pay more attention to their health, 63% said they increased physical activity, 59% improved their diet and 30% reported improved sleep.”
According to a study from Humana, “the members most active in the program spent an average of $116 less per month compared to members were less engaged with the program.” Additionally, “highly engaged members also had 35% fewer emergency room visits and 30% fewer hospital admissions.”
Programs such as these have been able to aid in detecting a disease or medical condition which has led to improved and modified lifestyle choices to combat these issues. Participants are improving their lifestyle habits which directly correlates to lower risks of heart disease through improved diets, lowering stress levels, and smoking less, according to Humana.
UnitedHealthcare has seen similar outcomes, finding that 57% of Americans have reported a positive impact on their health from employer wellness programs, along with improved productivity and 35% taking fewer sick days.
What is the impact of corporate wellness programs?
An effective employee wellness program has numerous benefits seen from an employee level, a company’s overall success and cost level, and even from retention and recruiting levels. Finding the right program to offer to your employees is crucial for its success and tangible results.
When considering wellness programming, consider comprehensive programs that provide physical, mental, financial, and medical support to employees and their families. Some key traits to consider are:
- Diverse range of classes and programs that allow for your entire workforce to participate in a single solution
- Inclusive tools, resources, and challenges so that everyone who wishes to participate is able
- Relatable instructors who represent the diversity of your employees
- Social motivation from group classes, community boards, family accounts, and more
- Personalization of recommendations and programming to support individual wellness goals
Burnalong can help you successfully implement and run a diverse and engaging wellness program that will result in positive outcomes for employees, their families and friends, and your company as a whole for years to come.
Are you ready to see what a corporate wellness program can do for your employees? Schedule some time with our team to see what a difference it can make for your retention, engagement, and culture.
