For 87% of potential employees, health and wellness benefits that could help them lead a healthier life are an important consideration when choosing an employer.
As an employer, you have the ability to help motivate employees to reduce their risk of lifestyle-related diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, which account for 70% of medical costs in the United States. Workplace wellness programs can help people tackle unhealthy habits — like poor nutrition, lack of exercise, tobacco use, and substance abuse — that lead to preventable chronic conditions.
The Benefits Of Workplace Wellness Programs
Employee benefits, like Anthem’s Well-being Coach, have been found to yield:
- Improvements in physical activity and smoking cessation.
- Greater adherence to a healthier diet.
- Lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.
Companies with wellness-related employee benefits likewise benefit, with:
- 72% of employers seeing a reduction in healthcare costs after implementing a wellness program.
- A 6:1 average return on investment.
- 14-19% lower absenteeism.
Achieving these results, however, requires meeting your employees where they are in their healthcare journey, by offering employee benefits that include a mix of physical, emotional, and overall well-being programs.
Preventive Engagement Tactics
Programs like Anthem’s Wellbeing Solutions offer a full suite of behavior-based tools, incentives, and resources, including programs that encourage employees to engage in their own preventive care — whether that means scheduling an annual wellness exam or taking a screening for depression.
Anthem also partners with an online provider to offer the Diabetes Prevention Program. Approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, it qualifies in some states as a preventive, no-cost benefit. The personalized 16-week program offers support including interactive daily coaching for weight loss, physical activity, diet, sleep, and stress management.
Motivational Incentives
According to the Incentive Research Foundation, "studies have shown that incentives and rewards can play a significant role in promoting workplace health and wellness, by encouraging employees to engage in healthy behaviors and make positive lifestyle changes."
Rewards and incentives can take many forms, including gym memberships, free fitness classes, and gift cards or money for completing healthy activities or screenings. According to a recent study from Anthem, members offered incentives are more:
- Compliant with preventive services.
- Engaged in condition management.
- Accountable for overall clinical compliance.
- Adherent to condition-related needs.
- Likely to close care gaps.
Supportive Coaching
Sometimes personalized support — via phone, text, or chat — is the key to helping your employees reach their wellness goals. Programs like Anthem’s Well-being Coach connects employees to experts for guidance on diet and nutrition, exercise, weight loss, tobacco cessation, stress, and sleep. According to internal reporting, after 36 weeks, participants achieved significant improvements. Approximately 43% lost at least 3% of their initial body weight, and about 28% lost at least 5% of their initial body weight.
Empowering Employees To Better Health
Offering a diverse menu of preventive health and wellness programs empowers your employees to take control of their health and the prevention or management of chronic conditions. Not only can preventive solutions encourage positive behavioral change, but they can also lower the cost of healthcare for both employers and employees alike.