Big Companies Invest in Employee Health: A Win-Win Strategy
The evolution of the modern workplace culture took more than four decades to complete. Organizational development specialists and industry-specific business consultants studied every aspect of organizational behaviour. Their research has resulted in a number of critical changes to the present-day workforce. One of the specific findings discussed here focuses on the approach that prioritizes people over the logistical profits of the organization. Although employee wellbeing is not recommended as a singular approach to corporate success, many big companies are emphasizing the overall health and well-being of their workforce. Several corporate wellness initiatives quickly become standard additions to a comprehensive employee benefit package.
Preventative Health Programs
Companies now realize that healthy employees are more productive and efficient in their roles and less costly for the organization. Insurance premiums and corporate coverage rates are partially based on expected usage for preventive care and ongoing medical issues. Unhealthy lifestyles, which could include poor nutritional intake and sedentary jobs, result in much higher costs for health insurance. Unfortunately, these costs are shared by organizations and the entire workforce. Such costs include:
- Lost wages due to medical leave
- Reduced workforce productivity
- Increased insurance premiums across the board
- Increased costs associated with high turnover
Preventative health programs may require employees to obtain an annual physical to qualify for a monetary incentive. Weight loss app subscriptions, gym memberships, and other fitness tools are offered to new and existing employees to motivate individuals to adopt a healthier lifestyle. This new trend has proven effective in countless organizations, encouraging a serious interest in weight management, reducing stress, and increasing longevity.
Mental Health Support
Aside from sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets, many people in the workforce are prone to chronic conditions as a result of stressful jobs. Stress in the workplace is arguably the top reason for unplanned absences, low productivity, and creating a toxic culture. Chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and hormonal imbalances can be directly related to a stressful lifestyle.
Employee Assistance Programs frequently offer a mental health component emphasizing an optimistic outlook. Mental health stability increases employee retention and creates a positive work-life balance. As the individual contributors are mindfully aware of their own actions and behaviours, they encourage others in the workplace to do the same. Over time, the focus on improved mental health functions will have a greater impact on the employees within the organization.
Physical Wellness Plans
Companies that invest in physical wellness plans generally take a holistic approach to benefit options. Coverage that addresses the whole body is more productive and yields greater results than packages presented in the past. Today, employee wellness programs consist of components that explore mind and body functions. Physical programs encourage diet and activity improvements and explore how the body works under various workplace conditions.
Focusing on work-life balance has produced new benefits such as remote work possibilities, flex time, and alternative medicine options. Balanced lifestyles and lower-stress jobs are proven to promote healthy levels of essential hormone production. Stressful jobs and poor lifestyle habits lead to deficiencies in vitamins and minerals, often creating sluggish behaviour, irritability, and other characteristics that impact their performance.
Hormone levels, particularly the human growth hormone (HGH), are also significantly impacted by stressful conditions. In particular, HGH deficiencies are known to cause feelings of anxiety and depression. Other symptoms manifest in physical conditions such as irregular insulin production, belly fat increase, and generalized muscle tone loss. Medically supervised HGH therapy provides relief from these debilitating conditions through injectable HGH therapy treatments. When used as prescribed, injection therapy can reverse the negative impacts of HGH deficiency and boost muscle mass, restore energy levels, and increase a positive sense of well-being.
Nutritional Guidance
Local Social Inequity (LSI) data points to areas of disparity related to basic healthcare factors in specific demographic regions. General education, access to quality healthcare, and availability of fresh produce heavily impact the local population’s health level. Benefits Administrators are beginning to advise companies to include sound nutritional information for employees.
Free nutritional programs provide essential education for employees to make more informed choices about their diet and nutrition. Interactive apps help users personalize their diet to promote a healthy lifestyle. Diets high in fruits, vegetables, and clean proteins help employees reduce blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure. Naturally, healthy blood levels and proper nutritional factors increase energy levels and mental clarity.
Employee health programs are a great way to encourage the workforce to implement mindful changes to their physical and mental health. A happier and more productive workforce benefits the organization in countless ways. Focused employees are likelier to be promoted and enjoy a balanced lifestyle with reduced stress levels. Although big companies play an important role when they invest in their staff, employees must be willing to take the initiative to improve their own health. Adopting a comprehensive lifestyle improvement plan is the best investment an employee can make for their professional career and their personal well-being.
