Wellness programs that offer perks to participating employees may help businesses lower expenses when it comes to employee benefits, according to new data from The Incentive Research Foundation.
While wellness programs have been in place in many companies for some time, these findings show programs that do not offer some sort of participation incentive are less desirable to many workers. Fewer than 20 percent of employees will participate in workplace wellness if prizes are not offered. However, HR management systems that effectively employ the wellness strategies and offer incentives for participation will see four in five staff members take part, the source explains.
Because healthy lifestyles can help to prevent certain illnesses and injuries, focusing healthcare dollars on such programs could save money in the future, according to the source.
"The U.S. is spending about $2.5 trillion per year on health care," explained Roger Stotz, chief researcher at IRF. "As much as 75 percent of that is spent on preventable conditions, so the potential savings through preventative health care measures that include workplace wellness programs could be as high as $1.9 trillion per year."
