Advantages of Employee Health Promotion Programs

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Posted by Employer Wellness | Posted in Employer Wellness | Posted on 14-01-2009

Employee Health Promotion Programs are crucial to improving the health of our nations. The majority of adults spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, making it a excellent venue for promoting healthful habits. The worksite organizational culture and environment are powerful influences on behavior and this needs to be put to use as a way of assisting workers to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Advantages to Employee Health Promotion Programs include:
• Weight reduction
• Improved physical fitness
• Improved stamina
• Lower levels of stress
• Improved well-being, self-image and self-esteem

Companies can also benefit from Employee Health Promotion Programs. According to recent research, employers’ benefits are:

• Improved recruitment and retention of healthy workers
• Decreased healthcare costs
• Decreased rates of illness and injuries
• Decreased employee rates of absence
• Improved employee relations and morale
• Increased productivity

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report revealed that at worksites with physical activity initiatives as components of their Employee Health Promotion Programs have:

• Decreased healthcare costs by 20 to 55%
• Decreased short-term sick leave by six to 32%
• Improved productivity by two to 52%

Thanks to modern medicine, life expectancy for Americans has continually increased. How much we enjoy these additional years, however, depends greatly on how we have lived our lives. If our quality of life is to remain high so that we can fully enjoy these extra years, we must practice good eating habits, be active and refrain from using tobacco products.

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