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25% Jump in Business Interest in Worker Wellness

Corporate wellness for their workers, companys are discovering, is good for the health of their companies as well. Wellness programs help to cut the costs associated with poor worker health, which include absenteeism, loss of productivity and poor work quality.

A recent Hewitt Associates survey of over 500 USA companies indicated a significant paradigm shift in how companies view health benefits for their staff members.

Of those surveyed this year, 88% are committed to instituting long-term healthcare assistance programs (over the next 3-5 years) for their staff members, with the goal of improveing the health and productivity of their workforce. This represents a 25% increase in interest in wellness programs over 2007.

A strong offering of wellness 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 disease in their workers and give them the tools and the information to prevent it. Corporations also demand a way to measure the effectiveness of their health care spending.

Self-care is our motive, says Vic Lebouthillier, president of progressive wellness provider Exan Wellness.”We really believe giving employees tools to help them manage their own health, and promoting the benefits, while giving individuals  resources to reach out for help is the key to successful lifestyle change.

Businesses are also telling us they need a cost-effective way to deliver wellness programs. the kind of program we have created over years delivers the highest health care return on investment.”

Combining corporate wellness promotions, online assessments and health trackers, online health information, telephone conferences and self-help groups, and access to a broad variety of health specialists, is behind the success of the Exan program. “Having online statistics about employees’ health also makes it easier to track the bottom line – ROI” says Vic Lebouthillier.

Corporations are moving beyond their traditional role as a provider of healthcare benefits to develop holistic programs that pinpoint the specific health needs of their worker populations, drive worker behavior change and eliminate barriers to healthcare, says Jim Winkler, leader of Hewitt’s health management consulting practice.

Notwithstanding, in a separate survey of 30,000 employees, 74% said that, although they felt their company had an obligation to help them understand how to use their health benefits program, only 12% felt the company had any right to tell them how to be healthful.

Based on these results, businesss need to drive home the fact that improved health is better for their staff members as well as the business. It’s a win-win situation.

Businesss and staff members did find common ground when it came to future healthcare. Both surveys indicate that 95 percent of staff members understand that their taking care of their health today will impact future healthcare payments.

A similar percentage also understand the important of early detection and avoidance when it comes to saving on health care costs.

Cost is important for most companies as well. Over 80% of those surveyed made cost mitigation a priority for 2008, but those cuts didn’t involve shifting responsibility for healthcare onto workers.

Although 64% of businesses have shifted costs to their workers, only 17% plan to do so in the next 3-5 years. Likewise with health reimbursement accounts, 20% now offer these, but only about 5% plan to use them in 2008.

These survey results indicate corporations are getting more proactive in helping their staff members to change behaviors and take ownership of their own health futures. This is clearly good for the wellness of staff members, but also for the wellness of the corporations they work for.

Almost half the corporations surveyed were convinced that changing health behaviors was key to increased productivity and lower absentee rates. Over 60% plan to institute programs that help workers change and/or sustain a healthier lifestyle.

Almost of these corporations will also use data and measurements to ensure their healthcare strategies meet their healthcare objectives?