The fourth annual National Employee Wellness Month is scheduled for this June, supporting organizations recently reminded American employers.
This initiative, sponsored by Virgin HealthMiles, the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease and WorldatWork, is meant to help business leaders share and learn strategies and ideas for improving workers' health and wellness. According to the organizations, the focus can help employers create a positive culture of health, strengthen employee well-being and productivity and lower organizations' healthcare costs.
According to the sponsors, 75 percent of healthcare costs are driven by chronic diseases which are often preventable and manageable. Addressing this issue may substantially decrease the cost of employee benefits for both the insured and employers.
To improve employee benefit plan administration and ensure that coverage is being used wisely, companies may wish to gain assistance from employee benefit consultants. The approaching occasion may be a particularly good time to do so. The sponsors report that almost 40 percent of employers have witnessed improvements in their operations since involving employees in a health and wellness program, according to one WorldatWork survey.
