WELLNESS PROGRAMS PAY OFF IN LOWERING EMPLOYEE HEALTH CARE COSTS

Healthcare costs are rising, but employers are proactively working to curb costs and create healthier workforces — and employees are getting onboard, according to a survey prepared by Creelman Research and Workforce Management.

While 76 percent of American businesses report healthcare cost increases of as much as 10 percent year-over-year, nearly 90 percent are now relying on employee health and wellness programs to lower costs. Seventy percent of employers now offer incentives to employees to participate in wellness initiatives. The approach is working: nearly 88 percent of employees said incentives were an extremely or somewhat important contributor to long-term participation in wellness programs.

Additionally, social networks are creating organizational cultures of good health. Forty-four percent of employers said leveraging an individual’s social connections with its workplace wellness programs has increased employee engagement. Almost 60 percent of employees said community and social elements of wellness programs were either “extremely” or “very” important in staying committed to good health.