Is Your Corporate Wellness Program Fulfilling Its Promises?
The trend of opting for corporate wellness programs has been consistently thriving, as most companies have acknowledged its importance and the benefits they can reap through it. The concept behind a corporate wellness program is quite intriguing, that is, these programs are aimed to provide employees opportunities to have a healthier lifestyle and prevent illness from further developing.
The popularity of these programs lies in the fact that about 80% of diseases and illnesses can be avoided with preventative care. Extra attention towards corporate wellness programs can significantly improve the productivity of the employees, can cause a reduction in healthcare insurance costs, and can result in more dedicated and happier employees.
One of the main concerns that have been developed in the organizations recently is that, are the corporate wellness program companies putting in all their efforts and generating the promised results? According to various studies, about 1 out of 10 corporate wellness companies provide effective services that actually show a significant change in the employees’ health and wellbeing. This means that other wellness programs are not producing the desired results and are not living up to the expectations of the companies.
On the contrary, it has also been reported by some employers that the only people who have been taking advantage of this program are those who are already fit. This basic purpose of this program is to encourage people, suffering from illnesses and workplace stress, to switch to a healthier lifestyle. This is one of the reasons that the organization who are paying large sums to corporate wellness programs have unhealthy and sick employees as ever, and the healthcare insurances are inflating as steadily as always.
Some Factors Leading to Unsuccessful Wellness Program
So what are factors that contribute to failure of corporate wellness programs? According to some studies, following are some common factors that have been noted at most organizations:
• Most organizations do not invest well in the corporate wellness programs and go for cheaper packages that are designed for smaller setups. Just to save a few bucks, organizations opt for a package that is difficult to execute throughout large number of staff members effectively. It is obvious that the wellness program company will only offer you that much, which comes in the package. The first and foremost step an employer should take is to go for a program package that will cover for the whole staff so that everyone can take advantage of it.
• Most organizations have misconception that building gyms or fitness centers within the premises of the office means that they have enforced a corporate wellness program. This is not what a proper corporate wellness program offer, as the main purpose of such a program is to motivate people to switch to a healthy lifestyle.
• Selecting a corporate wellness program company whose trainers does not provide education to the employees would be not as effective as the one that does. A good wellness program company ensures that it provides knowledge regarding all the exercises and extra activities. In this way, the employees will know what and why they are doing, and also the benefits of those activities, which in turn motivate them to perform on them daily basis.