Saturday, January 18, 2014

The Benefits of a Corporate Health and Wellness Program

The concept of hiring a Vancouver personal training professional to aid in improving the fitness of company employees may not seem like an appropriate expenditure for many in management. Such an opinion is a fairly misguided one because it overlooks several important points. Among the most vital of points is that the expenditure is really not an expenditure. The reason this is so derives from the fact that the institution of a solid wellness program can actually prove to be a tremendous cost saver for a company in a multitude of ways. On the most basic of levels, a proper wellness and fitness program can yield tremendous improvements in employee performance and productivity. The obvious cost saving impact of such improvements really goes without saying.

What is a wellness program?

As the name implies, a wellness program (In conjunction with Vancouver personal training )can entail any process or program in the office that boosts the health potential of employees. Sadly, the term "wellness program" has become associated with drug testing in the work environment. This is certainly not the only type of wellness program a company can employ. The fact of the matter is that there are no limits to the scope of improving employee wellness. The reason for this should be obvious: there are no limits on the ways in which health can be improved. This creates a great deal of latitude for companies seeking to effectively and properly institute such a program.

A wellness program in a corporate setting can take on many forms. Smaller scale wellness programs such as individual Vancouver personal training could entail simply holding a lunch and learn that covers the subject of reducing health risks deriving from obesity. A more expansive wellness program could include an actual onsite program designed to reduce obesity. Generally, there will be different wellness programs a company can employ based on needs and budget. Some of the commonly employed wellness programs will include:

Onsite aerobics, cardiovascular conditioning, and weight training programs are commonly employed for a wellness initiative. Vancouver personal training professionals could easily craft such programs. Obviously, space would be needed in the office to set up a fitness room to handle such workout sessions. This may not prove to be much of a problem with effective design. Even a very small room can be turned into a "fitness center" with the right approach.

Yoga, stretching, and meditation classes could be performed onsite as well. Such light workouts are perfect for stress reduction and can be instituted with limited cost.

Discount membership affiliations to local Vancouver personal training fitness facilities would be perfect for those companies unable to offer onsite wellness programs. Many commercial facilities will have programs in place to accept discount memberships for other businesses in the local community. Taking advantage of the availability of such offers could prove incredibly helpful to a company seeking to boost employee health and productivity.

Offering basic medical screening could prove to be extremely appreciated by employees. A blood screening test offered once a year to detect diabetes, hepatitis, or other health ailments could help improve the quality of employees' lives dramatically.

Weight management and nutrition educational programs, workshops, and seminars can all prove helpful. Some might solely associate happinesslifetime.com weight loss programs with improving physical appearance but these benefits are actually minor. The true benefits derive from effective weight benefits would be the reduced potential for serious adverse health problems manifesting due to obesity.

Positive Case Studies

While all these programs may seem helpful on the surface, some may seriously question whether or not these programs are truly effective and successful. Case studies have long since proven that the institution of such wellness programs can deliver all manner of benefits to a company that institutes such Vancouver personal training wellness programs.

A study performed by the Wellness Council of America has established that even minor healthy lifestyle changes significantly boost employee performance. This case study examined what was performed in 1992 in the City of Gainesville. A program dubbed LifeQuest was promoted to educate workers on seemingly "minor" health improvements and the results were quite positive. People that received effective health and wellness education soon started making proper decisions regarding their health. This led to great improvements in professional duties.

The Commonwealth Fund performed a study of a wellness program instituted by General Motors to curtail rising healthcare costs. In association with the United Auto Workers Union, a program called LifeStep was instituted. The study performed by The Commonwealth Fund noted there was a substantial savings of $42 per employee per year. This may not seem like a lot on the surface, but this will add up to $42,000 per 1,000 employees. General Motors is an enormous company and home to a substantial workforce. The multiplication of these costs over a large workforce has certainly cut healthcare costs for the company in a noticeable way.

Established Statistics

For any company to seriously consider instituting such a program there will be requirements to examine established statistic surrounding improvements attained for a company after a wellness program has been put in place. For this interested in finding such established statistics can take solace in the fact that many companies report positive outcomes.

Per the resource site PreventDisease.com, it has been noted that Johnson and Johnson experienced a 15% reduction in absences and a 34% reduction in healthcare costs. DuPont experiences a significant reduction in operational costs. For every dollar spent, $1.42 was saved. Coors Beer experienced savings in excess of $2 million.

Per Larry Chapman's study, "Meta-evaluation of Worksite Health Promotion Economic Return Studies," which was published in The American Journal of Health Promotion in 2003, the following statistics were revealed:

28% of sick leave taken was reduced; 26% reductions in direct health care costs were attained; and 30% reductions in the costs of worker's compensation and disability were attained.

Such amazing savings are certainly eye-opening and should be noted by those companies weighing the options for instituting Vancouver personal training wellness programs. The bottom line here is that such programs are, essentially, self-funded thanks to the savings they provide.








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