>> The EMPLOYEE Advantage

The EMPLOYER Advantage:
By now, you’re probably well aware of all the individual advantages that come from adopting a personal fitness and wellness plan.  Maybe you’ve even adopted one yourself and seen these advantages first-hand in your own life.  But taking a proactive approach to health and wellness is still a new idea to many employers, and you may have many questions... What is the advantage of encouraging employee health and wellness?  How will it affect your overall profitability?
Do these programs actually work?

Employee benefits packages have often traditionally focused on ‘sick care’ instead of ‘health care’.  Options such as medical, dental and optometry coverage are standard in most employee benefits packages, but they are only truly useful in times where the employee is already experiencing health problems.  What many companies are beginning to realize however, is that taking a proactive and preventative approach to the health of their employees is a much better investment than simply providing a safety net if and when they become ill.  It is very likely that your benefits package includes coverage for programs like massage, nutrition counseling, and other preventative health measures.  They are extremely effective options, and introducing them to your company through a company like DynamiX is a great way to encourage a healthier, more profitable company overall.

Healthy, active individuals make better, more productive employees.  But unhealthy, sedentary employees can actually detract from your profit margin. 

Studies show that: 

• The cost of employee absence is approximately $8.6 billion annually.
  
  
• Work absences are increasing due to personal reasons such as illnesses or disabilities.
  
  
• Stress-related illnesses cost employers in terms of absenteeism, higher insurance claims, lost efficiency and lost productivity.
  
  
• Canada’s workforce is aging.  Older workers (55-64) average twice as many sick days as their younger counterparts.  Benefit costs and absenteeism will likely escalate if older workers do not improve their health.
  
  
• Employees who smoke cost companies between $2,308 and $2,613 more per year than non-smoking employees.
  

In light of this, new research is showing that workplace wellness programs are an effective way to combat these costs.  In fact, “ U.S. workplace health promotion initiatives showed a positive return on investment values up to $8.81 per dollar spent on the health promotion program”.

Source: County of Lambton, Health Services Department