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Happy employees are productive employees, so the saying goes. Today's version of that saying might better be characterized as healthy employees are happy employees who are then productive employees--at least that is the hope of worksite health promotion advocates across the country.
Among 618 employers surveyed by Hewitt Associates, a Lincolnshire, Ill.-based benefits consulting firm, 76 percent aim to "manage" employee health through one or more activities. Although many companies remain skeptical about the touted cost savings and increased productivity benefits resulting from health promotion, or "wellness," programs, its promoters can't help but go with their gut feelings. And their gut is telling them that healthy employees will be absent less frequently, will be less likely to injure themselves on the job, will file fewer and less costly insurance claims, and will be more effective and productive on the job.
"The very first thing you see when you put in a comprehensive wellness program is a lift in morale and attitude," says Peter H. Soderberg, president of Johnson & Johnson Health Management Inc. (JJHMI), a J&J subsidiary that runs its "Live for Life" wellness program. "This (change) really stems from a change in the culture, shifting the paradigm toward one of better employee health. The next thing you see is a building of participation. Participation is the key process indicator; if you are not involving 50 percent to 75 percent of the site population in activities of some form, you really are not likely to see economic benefits," he says.
According to Robert Kaman, president of the Association for Fitness in Business, the economic benefits that should result from an effective wellness program are reduced healthcare and disability costs, reduced absenteeism and turnover, and increased productivity Being able to achieve these economic benefits first requires an intellectual commitment to the wellness program and to the total health of employees. The latter commitment can be traced back to the time when companies first began paying for employees' healthcare. Since corporate America has been looking for ways to cut its staggering healthcare bills, the impetus for wellness programs was born.
"Why do companies sponsor worksite health promotion programs?" Kaman asks. "In fact, why do companies sponsor employees' health insurance? There is nothing in the Constitution of...