Wellness programs at workplaces. Lot of companies are now acknowledging the fact that a good health is the key to an employees longevity and better productivity. No wonder, wellness programs and initiatives are currently a buzzword in today’s corporate sphere.
Its common for employees to have serious health issues – obesity, blood pressure and even heart problems in their late thirties and early forties.
Stress, obesity and lack of physical activity are the biggest culprits when it comes to lifestyle diseases. Besides, more employers are now observing that cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases are the top reasons for medical claims in India.
Major issues that employees face at workplaces
- Hurried or missed breakfasts, late lunches, long hours of sitting, poor hydration, etc. are now common at the workplace.
- There’s lot of research that suggests that sitting for longer hours reduces the lifespan of an individual.
- Poor ergonomics at the workplace (bad postures with inadequate spine support, longer hours at the computer) is another major factor contributing to lifestyle diseases among employees.
These result in frequent sick leaves, thereby further lowering the productivity of the team and the organisation.
That is the reason companies are ready to invest in wellness programs in order to reduce the health risks of employees, which in turn will affect the organisation’s bottom line.
A Harvard Business Review report states that every dollar invested in wellness programs results in six-dollar healthcare savings in the United States. The spectrum of diseases that employees are susceptible to, and the immense cost savings have encouraged employers to shift their focus from illness to wellness.
Importance of Wellness programs
- Wellness programs at the workplace help employees to be more energetic and fruitful through-out the day allowing them to spend more quality time with family. It also boosts their health and reduces absenteeism.
- Wellness programs save employers from covering the medical bills and reduces employee healthcare expenses. It also allows employers to-be as caring and thoughtful.
- Wellness initiatives at the workplace could range from taking regular breaks from their computer screens, to implementing no-smoking rules, introducing weekly yoga sessions for employees, and so on.
Its important that organisations view efforts towards wellness programs as long-term investments that will help them save on man-days and increase company productivity.
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