Are workplace health programs simply ineffective feel-good measures, or do they really make a difference in productivity? According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in general, healthier employees are more productive. And workplace health programs actually do make a difference:
· Organizations that support workplace health and/or put a formal health initiative in place typically have a larger percentage of employees at work on a daily basis.
· Supporting better health at work often translates to better health at home, i.e., healthier meals, better sleep habits, hand-washing, exercise. This frequently leads to less work missed to take care of ill family members.
· Healthier workers tend to call in sick less often and use less vacation time due to illness.
· Workplace health programs also help prevent what’s known as “presenteeism,” that is, coming to work sick, which increases productivity and cuts down on spreading infection in the workplace.
According to a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, workers who improve their health see an annual gain of 10 hours in productive time. In addition, cost savings per participating worker average about $350 annually, compared with those who didn’t participate. The savings were even greater for employees who successfully improved their health or lowered health risk in at least one area. For a typical employee, the gain in productive time amounted to about 0.5 percent.
While workplace health programs cost money, they save money in the long run by reducing absenteeism, reducing overtime used to cover absent workers and the costs of training replacement workers.
Workplace Wellness Programs Increase Productivity
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