There’s no doubt about it: Well-executed wellness programs work. The benefits of corporate wellness programs are extensive and far-reaching, touching each stage of the employment lifecycle, from pre-hire prospects to tenured employees.
Here are a few ways corporate wellness programs benefit both employees and employers alike.
1. Enhanced Recruitment
Job seekers today both want and expect wellbeing offerings from their potential employers. More than 60% said that corporate wellbeing programs are important to them when considering whether to apply for an open position. That’s why enhanced recruitment is one of the biggest benefits of corporate wellness programs. By offering the right health and wellbeing resources, you can appeal to job seekers and gain a competitive hiring advantage over others in your area and industry.
2. Increased Engagement
Increased employee engagement is another significant benefit of strategic, well-crafted corporate wellness programs. When employers invest in the health and wellbeing of their workforce, it shows. Employees are more engaged at work, more satisfied in their roles, and more committed to sticking around for the long haul.
DEI is at the center of everything we do. If you’re prioritizing DEI, check out our DEI Toolkit.
3. Improved Productivity
Corporate wellness programs can also increase productivity (and reduce “presenteeism,” or being physically present but unproductive at work) along with engagement. When employees are engaged, they’re typically more productive and alert on the job. In fact, 62% of employees with access to a corporate wellbeing program said it upped their productivity at work.
4. Reduced Employee Stress
According to Aflac’s 2020-2021 Workforces Report, stress management programs are one of the top five wellness offerings across employers. Reduced employee stress is a benefit of corporate wellness programs as well. It’s important employees feel they have a safe space where they’re comfortable being candid about mental health struggles.
Employers can reduce employee stress levels by:
- Providing mental health resources to reduce the stigma of mental health struggles
- Connecting employees with mental health counseling
- Encouraging open and honest conversations
- Sharing various stress management tips and outlets
5. Decreased Absenteeism
Improving employees’ physical and mental health and reducing stress at work results in decreased absenteeism. When employees are healthy and happy, they take fewer sick and “mental health” days overall. A UnitedHealthcare survey revealed that 56% of employees with access to a workplace wellbeing program felt it cut down on sick days.
6. Lower Healthcare Premiums
Reduced healthcare costs come with a healthier and happier workforce — not to mention with fewer sick days due to the ripple effects of wellbeing programs. Investing in your employees’ health and wellbeing can generate healthcare cost savings by bringing insurance premiums down for the entire workforce at an organization.
7. Elevated Company Culture
Corporate wellness initiatives can also create a company culture of health and wellbeing with healthy, engaged employees who serve as advocates for your program. Creating a culture of health is essential for improving the health, satisfaction and productivity of your entire workforce.
William Baun, who serves as president of the National Wellness Institute, says a culture of health “aligns leadership, benefits, policies, incentives, programs and environmental supports to reduce barriers to active engagement and sustainability of healthy lifestyles across the healthcare continuum.”
8. Better Team Camaraderie
Who says wellbeing can’t be fun?
Group wellness challenges and team-building exercises boost camaraderie among employees. This not only improves workplace relationships and collaboration, but it also makes for more fun, engaging wellbeing initiatives by combining wellness content with gamification.
Friendly, team-based competitions encourage employees to build healthy habits and drive collaboration across entire organizations. Make it social and digital: VP GO is a turnkey global wellbeing solution with a vast challenge library designed to create healthy competition and equip employees with the knowledge, tools and support they need to build healthier habits and embrace lifestyle changes.
9. Greater Talent Retention
Rounding out benefits across the employment lifecycle, corporate wellness programs also improve talent retention, increasing employee satisfaction and reducing turnover. Plus, when your employees are happy, healthy and engaged at work, they’re more likely to refer others to your company — and the lifecycle begins all over again.
All these benefits sound incredible, right? An important note: Corporate wellness programs are only as beneficial as they are strategic and effective. To achieve success, you need the right wellbeing tools and resources at your (and your employees’) disposal. That’s where we come in.
By unifying all your wellness efforts in one Homebase for Health®, our digital wellbeing platform, employees are empowered to better understand and take action toward meeting their personal health goals. Request a demo to discover how Homebase for Health® can support your employees and business outcomes.