Corporate wellness programs are a hot topic amongst corporate HR departments, especially given the incentives available through the newly minted
Affordable Care Act rules that can provide discounts to employers and employees for healthy behavior. If you don't have a corporate wellness plan, it's time to put one in place. Healthier employees are more productive, and represent less financial risk to your organization. Here are a few tips to help you get going.
- How do I start? A great way to kick off your corporate wellness program is to offer optional biometric screenings. Give your employees a baseline to start from. It will be a great motivator in the beginning of the program and give them a milestone to look back on as they continue to improve those readings and live a healthier life.
- What incentives do I offer? Small incentives can often be as effective as larger ones. Giving spot rewards to help promote a healthy lifestyle to retailers like CVS/pharmacy and GNC are great ways to support employees while celebrating their healthy milestone.
- What are the financial implications? 80% of an employee's healthcare costs are incurred in the last 20% of their career timespan. This is a statistic that can be affected by employees who take a proactive stance on employee health. Corporate wellness programs may not totally change this statistic but they can help control corporate costs.
