Health, fitness wellness—whatever you want to call it—is a major focus in the United States, with health-related trends increasing significantly as Americans become passionate about staying fit and eating well.
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Ironically, at the same time that obesity rates are rising—over one-third of adults and 17% of youth in the United States are obese—health consciousness is on the rise as well. Wellness is big business, in fact; estimates are that the wellness industry is worth $3.7 trillion globally.
Wellness Impacts the Bottom Line
Companies are always looking for ways to keep costs down; wellness programs can be used to help tackle issues that challenge profitability and the bottom line on three fronts. A healthy workforce misses less work. Healthy employees cost less from an insurance standpoint.
And, given the focus of many—especially younger—employees on wellness as an important element of their lives, wellness programs can be a way to offer non-salary benefits to entice employees to join and stay with your company.
Companies Standing Out for Wellness
Certainly, some companies do better at the wellness game than others. General Electric, General Mills, Microsoft, and Twitter are often listed as companies that score toward the top of the list of healthiest companies in the country.
And, of course, when companies are engaged in health and wellness as part of their product and service offerings, they have added incentive to jump on the wellness bandwagon. Fitbit is one example.
What Well Companies Have in Common
Fitbit, in its 2017 State of Corporate Wellness Report, points to 10 things America’s healthiest employers have in common. The report goes into some detail on each and is worth a read; here, we’ll just list them out for brevity.
- Using metrics
- Focusing on common health conditions
- Emphasizing physical activity
- Recruiting managers as role models
- Hyper-personalizing
- Delivering strategic, consistent communication
- Encouraging teamwork
- Using financial incentives
- Incorporating wearables technology
- Aiming for small, measurable improvements
There are several benefits to employers and employees alike in having a healthy workplace. Companies that feel they are lagging behind their peers in this area or simply want to keep getting better should consider some of the factors America’s healthiest employers have in common.