More and more businesses, even beyond the Fortune 500s who are famous for them, are investing in wellness programs for their employees. And the reasons are obvious.
A healthier workforce means fewer sick days, increased productivity and a better bottom line.
Sometimes known as office wellness or workplace wellness programs, corporate wellness initiatives include almost any activity aimed at improving the physical and/or mental health of a company’s staff.
The goals of a company wellness program can be everything from overcoming specific physical health issues, like reducing pain though massage therapy and physio therapy, to easing many of the mental strains of the workplace, like stress and anxiety.
And the benefits can go way beyond productivity and the bottom line.
1. Attract Better Talent
As much as companies recruit job candidates, those candidates ‘recruit’ companies. The most qualified candidates can demand more than just a good wage and they actively seek out companies who are interested in their employees’ health.
2. Increase Investor Appeal
An active wellness program is the hallmark of a company that is willing to make a smart investment to get a higher return. Potential investors look for traits like wellness programs, and how comprehensive they are, as signs of a good investment.
3. Marketing & Publicity
If you want to know the power of being on the leading-edge of something like a corporate wellness program, look no further than Google, which is famous for on-site dentists, flexible work environments and basketball courts. Google actually has a People & Innovation Lab devoted to coming up with new ways to keep their staff healthy.
4. More Engagement & Creativity
If there is a new trend in business for the new millennium, it is creative thinking. Not only do businesses with wellness programs attract a higher caliber of candidate, happier and healthier employees are more apt to demonstrate cooperative, creative, out-of-the-box thinking.
For any business that is looking to develop or enhance a corporate wellness program, it’s important to remember that better employee health and wellness means better company health and wellness too.
