Employee Benefits: Benefits of a Healthy Workplace

There is a flurry of activity regarding our health. Between the healthcare reforms, obesity crisis, fast food availability, there are thousands of articles, experts, and institutions all discussing healthcare, our health, and what can be done to improve it. But what exactly are the benefits of maintaining a healthy workplace?

The cost of employee health benefits has grown by double-digit percentages. As a workforce, we are expensive to hire, train, and retain. A healthy workforce holds huge benefits for employers and employees. Healthy employees reduce absenteeism, are more productive, and enjoy a better quality of life overall.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention almost 75% of our health-care spending is for control of chronic diseases. Of those chronic diseases, four health risks- tobacco use, excessive alcohol use, poor nutrition, and lack of physical activity- are responsible for much of that disease.

The heavy costs put pressure on both the public and private sector to rein in health costs and help keep a healthier workplace. For example, several states are implanting wellness incentive programs- in Rhode Island, 65% of employees chose to work to reduce their health insurance costs, according to Governing. They are costing the state less than half of what those who chose not to participate have.

The incentive program relies on employee participation to reduce their risk of chronic disease. It involves not only health treatments, but encourages overall lifestyle changes. Other approaches include offering fitness classes to workers, or nutritional education courses.

At Sinclair Risk & Financial Management, we can help provide you with a proprietary Wellness Program designed to promote health employee lifestyle choices along with a strategy to create and sustain these behaviors. Our program also augments consumer-directed health plans, such as HSAs, which reward participants for making more consumer-oriented health decisions. Contact us today for more information employee benefits & the benefits of a Healthy Workplace.

Source: MSN Money