Company Health and Wellness : Corporate Wellness Programs Now as Important as Cost and Workforce Issues

25 percent Jump in Employer Interest in Employee Health and Wellness

Worksite wellness for their workers, organizations are discovering, is good for the health of their organizations as well. Corporate Wellness Programs help to cut the expenditures associated with poor employee health, which include absenteeism, loss of productivity and poor work quality.

A current Hewitt Associates survey of over 500 American corporations indicated a important paradigm shift in how corporations view health benefits for their workers. Of those surveyed this year, 88 percent are committed to instituting long-term medical assistance programs (over the next 3-5 years) for their workers, with the goal of boosting the health and productiveness of their workforce. This represents a 25 percent rise in interest in Worksite Health Promotion Programs over 2007.

A strong offering of Worksite Health Promotion Programs to meet the demand has resulted. Health assistance providers have broadened their programs with tools that address general lifestyle factors, physical, social and psychological health factors. Programs look to predict chronic conditions in their workers and give them the tools and the information to prevent it. Companies also demand a way to measure the success of their medical care spending.

“Self-care is our motive,” says Vic Lebouthillier, president of progressive health and wellness provider Exan Wellness.”We really believe giving employees tools to help them manage their own health, and promoting the benefits, while giving people resources to reach out for help is the key to successful lifestyle change. Corporations are also telling us they need a cost-effective way to deliver Worksite Health Promotion Programs. The type of program we have developed over years delivers the highest health care return on investment.”

Combining worksite wellness promotions, web-based assessments and health trackers, web-based health information, phone conferences and self-help groups, and access to a wide variety of health professionals, is behind the success of the Exan program. “Having web-based statistics about workers’ health also makes it easier to track the bottom line – ROI” says Vic Lebouthillier.

“Organizations are moving beyond their traditional role as a provider of healthcare benefits to cultivate holistic programs that pinpoint the specific health needs of their employee populations, drive employee behavior modification and eliminate barriers to healthcare,” says Jim Winkler, leader of Hewitt’s health management consulting practice.

However, in a separate survey of 30,000 staff members, 74% said that, although they felt their employer had an obligation to help them be aware of how to use their health benefits program, only 12% felt the employer had any right to tell them how to be healthy. Based on these results, businesses need to drive home the fact that improved health is better for their staff members as well as the employer. It’s a win-win situation.

Employers and workers did discover common ground when it came to future healthcare. Both surveys indicate that 95 percent of workers be aware of that their taking care of their health today will impact future health care payments. A similar percentage also be aware of the significant of early detection and prevention when it comes to saving on health care costs.

Cost is valuable for most businesses as well. Over 80% of those surveyed made cost mitigation a priority for 2008, but those cuts did not involve shifting responsibility for healthcare onto employees. Although 64% of businesses have transfered expenditures to their employees, only 17% plan  to do so in the next 3-5 years. Similarly with health reimbursement accounts, 20% now offer these, but only about 5% plan  to use them in 2008.

These survey results indicate organizations are getting more proactive in helping their workers to change behaviors and take ownership of their own health futures. This is obviously wonderful for the wellness of workers, but also for the wellness of the organizations they work for. Almost half the organizations surveyed were convinced that changing health behaviors was key to increased productiveness and decrease absentee rates. Over 60% plan  to institute programs that help workers shift and/or sustain a healthier lifestyle. Almost of these organizations will also use data and measurements to make sure their medical care strategies meet their medical care objectives?