Friday, March 28, 2014

Do More Healthy Workers Create A Better Workplace?

By George Dodson


Earning for a living is the primary purpose of employment for us. We get employment in various jobs. A few of these jobs involve working in offices and others outside. Most of us work a nine to five. Then there are daytime jobs and also nighttime. What may people who study these things know for sure is that a healthy person is a better employee.

The big question arises, is it cost effective?

One huge corporation, Amway, has 3,900 local employees. The company says that for every dollar it spends on fitness for employees, it gets two dollars back in savings. How do they justify that? Most employees who have participated in their wellness plan have lowered their medical and drug claims by eight percent. Many of them become slimmer and fitter. A lady employee claimed that in 18 months, she reduced 85 pounds. This has given her an abundance of energy which naturally had reflected in quality work and increased production for the company. Most companies agree that it takes up to three years to realize cost savings from a program that employees undertake. They say it takes time for employees to learn new behaviors.

It is also come to notice that the health expenditure of those employees who do not take part in such fitness program rose up to 23 percent.

Flexco is another firm which has taken the initiative to implement such health oriented program for their employees. This program become very successful and the company was able to gain an amount close to a hundred thousand dollars just by reduced premium costs. The bottom line is that this program is very effective. In addition, the company helps pay the employee deductibles.

One unique aspect of the program is that employees can earn wellness points. With these points, they can reduce their share of the annual health care costs up to $850. This is an important insensitive in getting employees to buy in to the program. This would also ensure that the employee joins it willingly and not by way of any force.

They can combine this program with the overall goals of the company. This integration helps the company overall. It would help the company to attain its overall business goals, if its employees are willing to stay healthy and active. This makes for a better working environment overall.

One employee was unhappy because he had to get a physical until the doctor discovered a serious problem and was able to correct it before it got worse.

It is evident from all this that it is the it would be definitely beneficial for the company in the long run, if they encourage the employees to stay fit, either on their own, or with the help of the company. Some companies even offer free membership to their employees in fitness centers and health groups. The examples shows that you can significantly lower the bottom line when you have healthier employees. This also makes the workplace more congenial.




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