Corporate wellness programs aren’t just a perk used to attract and retain talent, they’re also an investment for the company itself. By investing in the health and wellbeing of their employees, the company will save on healthcare costs and losses from reduced productivity, absenteeism, and lack of engagement.
An article on helloheart.com goes over “22 Surprising Stats Every Corporate Wellness and Benefits Manager Should Know” and has some very valuable-and surprising-statistics. Here are some that stood out to us:
- “Moving employees from high- and medium-risk to low-risk chronic disease status yields an ROI of 6 to 1 for annual health care claims.”
- “Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the U.S., over 8 times that of diabetes. 1 in 3 Americans have high blood pressure and are at risk of heart disease. Most Americans don’t understand their heart risk condition and half don’t have it under control.”
- “Employees with high blood pressure cost employers $760 more than others. If HBP deteriorates to heart disease, cost can increase to $10,000 more per employee per year.”
So what does this all mean? There is an epidemic in the US of chronic illness, especially heart disease. Not only is this costly for employers, most Americans lack the knowledge of their risk status.
The article also states that “There are two primary kinds of wellness programs: Lifestyle Management and Chronic Disease Management.” Here’s the problem with that: the former is proactive, the latter is reactive. While Chronic Disease Management programs yield faster results, doesn’t it make sense to also invest in taking preventative measures? This way the employer may not have to incur the cost associated with these diseases at all.
That’s where we come in. We specialize in lifestyle management and change programs. We educate and inform, and help employees build lasting healthy habits and a foundation of knowledge and empowerment for their own wellbeing. After all, how else can lasting change be created?