The importance of employee wellness has grown over the past several
years, with some experts predicting that over the next 10 years the
country will successfully transition the health care system from one
which “fxed people who were sick” to one of preventative, diagnostic
medicine. However, as is often the case with bold new concepts, many
companies are not convinced of its effectiveness, or have perhaps been
too limited in scope and implementation of wellness programs.
Impactful wellness programs are
not just hosting a company fun run,
or hanging a few health-related post-
ers around the offce. Wellness pro-
grams must be comprehensive, engag-
ing and holistic, encompassing key
areas of employees’ everyday life-
styles and include a focus on a healthy
workplace and community, education
about eating well and exercise, and the
ability to manage stress and focus on
prevention. Otherwise, participation
will not happen, and companies will
not see the results and ultimate ben-
efts they expect. Promoting a culture
of well-being and health takes passion-
ate and persistent leadership from the
C-level down.
When viewed holistically, the payoff
can be tremendous. In fact, a study
by Towers Watson and the National
Business Group on Health shows that
organizations with highly effective
wellness programs report signifcantly
lower voluntary attrition than do those
whose programs have low effectiveness
(9% vs. 15%).
2
The Afac WorkForces Report examined
the prevalence of wellness programs
in today’s environment, as well as their
impact on worker satisfaction, well-
being and ultimately, productivity. The
fndings were quite surprising. Workers
who are offered wellness programs and
take part in those programs are signif-
cantly more likely to be satisfed with
their job, feel positively towards their
employer, and consider theirwell-being
better protected, compared to workers
who aren’t offered wellness programs at
all.
SEECHART 1
Traditionally, HR departments have
arguably been not only too narrow
in addressing solely physical health
concerns, but too limited in options or
programs to do so, and often disregard
the importance of a fnancially-secure
employee as a key part of overall well-
ness. Yet, the impact of the current
economic landscape, combined with
a general lack of basic understanding
of fnancial principles, has left many
American workers in fscal distress
and high debt. In fact, the Afac study
found that only eight percent of work-
ers strongly agree their family will
be fnancially prepared in the event
of an unexpected emergency, while
51 percent are trying to reduce debt.