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  • Wellness programs have become very popular in recent years. In its 2017 Employee Benefits Survey, The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that 24 percent of organizations added to their wellness benefits, which was the biggest increase for any benefit during the year. 

    While more businesses are investing in wellness initiatives, some owners may ask how effective workplace wellness programs really are. The answer to that can depend on your goals.

    Employees using a workplace wellness program.

    How to Measure the Success of a Workplace Wellness Program

    To determine if a wellness program works, you need to define what you would consider success. It can be misleading to attribute the effectiveness of a wellness program to individual factors, like overall weight loss. Instead, the point of a wellness program is for employees to establish long-term healthy behaviors that help them improve their overall wellbeing.

    Can a wellness plan help instill long-term healthy behavior? A study in the U.S. National Library of Medicine found that people who participate in wellness coaching “improved their current health behaviors and learned skills for continued healthy living.” In turn, the improved health of these employees helps them be more productive, while their improved health can allow their employers to save money on costly healthcare benefits. 

    These small changes can have big effects, as the overall health of a group is one of the factors that determines how your group health insurance premium is calculated. For example, the American Lung Association cites that “employers can save nearly $6,000 per year for every employee who quits smoking.”

    Money isn’t the only factor. According to SHRM, “Three-fourths of organizations promote wellness to improve overall employee satisfaction and well-being, with just 25 percent hoping to reduce health care costs.” A wellness program can be about much more than just health savings and weight loss. It can also serve as a way for owners to show their employees that they have their well-being in mind and serve as an attractive benefit to attract and retain top talent.

    Small Business Guide to Health & Welness

    Is Your Wellness Program Set Up for Success?

    Like any other type of project, a wellness program needs to be run effectively to work. A Professional Employer Organization can help your business set up a dynamic program that includes several key components that foster healthier lifestyle decisions and sets your workers up for long-term success. Contact GMS today to talk to one of our experts about the benefits of a workplace wellness program or any other important employee benefits administration needs.

  • When your employees are ailing, your business is also likely to suffer. The health and wellbeing of your employees can play a big part in your company’s success, as a happy, healthy workforce has several benefits, including:

    • Increased productivity
    • Reduced absenteeism
    • Decreased medical costs

    Many small business owners have turned to workplace wellness programs to help improve the wellbeing of their employees. Over time, these programs have evolved to address specific issues to better serve employers and their employees. Here are some recent wellness trends than may be a good fit for your business.

    An office worker stretching as part of the company’s workplace wellness program.

    Programs That Cover More Than Physical Wellbeing

    Physical health isn’t the only concern for your employees. While health concerns like chronic disease is a major issue for businesses, the stress caused by other factors can be a major source for lost productivity and morale. That’s why some businesses are expanding the definition of wellness to include areas like emotional, financial, and other types of wellbeing. 

    According to BMC Public Health, a peer-reviewed health journal, stress can increase health insurance costs for a business by 50 percent. This trend has led to the addition of skills training, financial counseling, and other outlets to some wellness programs. In addition to providing avenues for weight loss or smoking cessation, these programs focus on other avenues that can help improve both the physical and emotional health of employees by giving employees the knowledge and skills they need to reduce the stress placed on them by outside forces.

    Architectural Wellness

    You may not think about it, but your workspace can play a part in the wellness of you and your employees. Architecture and design magazine Metropolis notes that “new research about the effects of noise, light, and air quality—among many other factors—reveals direct links to long-term human health, not to mention daily productivity.” This means that certain changes to a workspace could help improve the overall wellbeing of employees, allowing them to be more productive while potentially limiting the number of sick days taken.

    Of course, most small businesses can’t do a complete redesign of an office. However, there are small changes you can make to create a healthier workspace. These include:

    • Air quality – Replace air filters and allow for fresh air flow to limit levels of carbon dioxide and other contaminants
    • Ergonomic furniture – Invest in seating and desks that relieve physical stress on employees over long periods of time
    • Private spaces – If possible, clear out some rooms or open spaces where employees can work privately when they need some space to focus
    • Noise control – Establish quiet zones for employees who need to get away from distracting conversations and use sound-deadening materials or furniture to help absorb noise

    Personalized Programs

    This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but every employee is different. This means that each worker can have certain preferences about what should be included in a workplace wellness program. Instead of trying to push aspects of a wellness program on disinterested employees, some businesses are personalizing programs so that users can take advantage of what they want.

    A wellness coordinator can meet with each employee to go over their health and to identify exactly what he or she wants to achieve through the program. Some employees may want to aggressively work to lose weight or quit smoking, while others may just want to maintain their level of health and learn other ways to improve their wellbeing. Coordinators can create personal health guides to provide workers with individualized information based on each specific user. 

    You can also offer “health hours” to employees to allow them to personalize their wellness on their own. This concept gives employees a set number of hours per week or month to go to the gym, take walks, or do some other healthy activity during company time. This can help workers who can’t find the time to work out on their own while still giving them the freedom to choose their own route to wellbeing.

    Small Business Guide to Health & Welness

    A Focus on Musculoskeletal Pain

    The U.S. Department of Health & Humans Services released a study back in 2015 that found nontraumatic joint disorders to be one of the five most costly conditions for American adults. Thanks to issues like back pain, arthritis, and carpal tunnel causing higher absentee rates and workers’ compensation claims, small business owners are now starting to realize that they may need to be proactive about musculoskeletal pain.

    A wellness program with a focus on musculoskeletal pain will help educate employees on how to prevent these issues. This may include:

    • Educating workers about what is considered a musculoskeletal disorder and how these injuries happen, which can include heavy lifting, bad work posture, and other practices that can lead to pain over time
    • Teaching prevention tactics such as important warmup stretches and proactive processes
    • Highlighting ways to improve workplace ergonomics

    Find the Right Workplace Wellness Program for Your Company

    While wellness programs can benefit small businesses, they’re only beneficial if they’re run effectively. At GMS, we can set up a customized workplace wellness program that’s designed around the needs and questions of your employees and features a quarterly review of claims and the impacts of your program. Contact GMS today to talk to one of our experts about how we can improve the wellbeing of your employees and your business.