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Are you focusing on ‘sick care’ or ‘well care’?

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Are you focusing on ‘sick care’ or ‘well care’?

By
Jeremy Trotman
on 02 Jun 2014 2:05 PM
Blog Category: Health Blog

It’s interesting that some people still question the purpose or validity of corporate wellness programs when there is so much research that supports the business case for investing in employee health. Smart companies understand that focusing on ‘well care’ makes good business sense.

Corporate wellness programs can provide a strong return on investment through:
  • Reducing healthcare costs
  • Lowering absenteeism
  • Improving employee health
  • Reducing staff turnover
  • Increasing morale + productivity

However, you don’t need to just take our word for it. There are many research studies that show that corporate wellness programs more than pay for themselves so let’s have a look at some research evidence.

What's the hard return on corporate wellness programs? Harvard Business Review, 2010

This study reviewed existing research and studied 10 organisations across a variety of industries with corporate wellness programs.

Effective corporate wellness programs were found to have the following benefits, which led to a good return on investment:
  • Lower costs through reducing health risks and the likelihood of disease, which then leads to less healthcare claims.
  • Greater productivity, and less absence and presenteeism.
  • Higher morale amongst employees, which generates increased trust and pride and a 'bond' between employers and employees.

The bottom line was that a successful corporate wellness program can not only provide a strong return on investment, but a wider range of benefits for the company, such as improved morale and productivity.

Impact of a health promotion program on employee health risks and work productivity. American Journal of Health Promotion 2007

This research looked at 266 full-time employees of Unilever in the UK who participated in an online health promotion program and who completed questionnaire-based assessment at the beginning and end of the study.

The results showed that:
  • Health risk status, absence from work and performance at work all improved significantly in the program group when compared with the control group.
  • The average number of health risk factors dropped by nearly a half (0.45), average days lost each month through absenteeism was reduced by over a third of a day (0.36) and average work performance score improved by close to one point (0.79).
  • Looking at the returns from both the improvements in absenteeism and work performance, the return on investment was positive

They concluded that a well-implemented, work-based health promotion program can improve the overall health risk status of participants and their work performance, providing a positive return on investment for employers.

If we look around we can see many companies that have introduced corporate wellness programs as a way to reduce health care costs. However, a growing body of research suggests that nurturing employee health and wellness also has a significant and positive impact on your productivity and your business’ profitability.

If you don’t already have a program in place we recommend that you speak to a corporate health professional who can help you determine your organisation’s specific requirements and put in place a cost effective program which leads to a positive return on investment. Make a move to a focus on ‘well care’ and your business will benefit enormously.

If you’d like to speak to a JTA Health consultant please call 1 300 856 282.

Read about our Corporate Wellness programs

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