Link Between Company, Employee Wellness

This link, according to the survey, resulted in employees’ increased job morale, satisfaction, commitment and performance. Additionally, employees were found to place a premium on the culture of wellness, with 87% claiming that health and wellness programs play a role in determining their employer of choice.

Of the businesses surveyed, 80% offer health and wellness benefits. Among that group, 47% have extended those health and wellness benefits to spouses of employees. Employees are responding positively to this new trend, with 77% claiming that health and wellness programs positively impact the culture at work.

“Creating a culture-first mentality is a critical step for employers when it comes to building a highly engaged workforce,” said Chris Boyce, CEO of Virgin HealthMiles. “The trends outlined within this survey mirror what we’re seeing in the market: Employees become much more motivated and productive when they know that their employer cares about their total quality of life, which goes beyond traditional wellness and includes physical, emotional, financial and social health.”

Other findings from the survey include:

• Eighty percent of employees surveyed said that they believe their employer cares about their well-being.
• Survey respondents said that their health and wellness habits are not just motivated by colleagues (58%), but also spouses/partners (53%), friends (41%) and children (32%).
• Incentives play a big role in motivating employees to participate in wellness programs. Sixty-one percent of employees said they are a key reason they participate, and 78% claimed they are interested in participating in incentive-based programs while at work.
• The health services most commonly offered by employers today are: physical activity programs(58%), smoking cessation programs (50%), weight management programs (49%) and health risk assessments (47%).
• Only 51% of employees surveyed said they have a good understanding of how to participate in health and wellness programs being offered by their employers. Eighty-two percent of organizations rely primarily on email as the main source of communication for these programs, while 26% of organizations report using a direct method of communication, such as a manager-to-employee model.
• Sixty-seven percent of employers reported exploring the possible connections and correlations between health and wellness programs and their bottom-line benefits.

Virgin HealthMiles is a health engagement platform that helps employers to encourage their employees to adopt healthier lifestyles. Approximately 1,300 businesses and 10,000 employees were surveyed. The employer portion was conducted by Workforce Management Magazine from April 29 to May 3, 2013, and the employee portion was conducted by Virgin HealthMiles from May 6 to May 10, 2013.

A free summary of the survey findings can be downloaded at http://us.virginhealthmiles.com/info/Pages/Business_Survey_Social.aspx.