Most employees with access to a workplace wellness program say it has positively impacted their health, according to UnitedHealthcare’s Consumer Sentiment Survey: Wellness Check Up. These survey results come at a time when more U.S. companies are investing in wellness programs. The Society for Human Resource Management estimates that nearly 70 percent of employers nationwide are offering such initiatives, up from 58 percent in 2008.
While nearly 75 percent of employees are interested in taking proactive steps to improve their health, most struggle to devote at least one hour per day to their well-being. Fitness and activity trackers serve as another proof point of the growing interest in improving health – 62 percent of employees said they would be interested in using a wearable fitness tracker as part of a workplace wellness program. These trackers serve as a tool to encourage accountability while visually displaying the impact of healthy habits. According to technology consultancy Endeavors Partners, companies nationwide are expected to incorporate more than 13 million fitness tracking devices into their wellness programs by 2018 to help reduce obesity among employees.
Employee wellness programs aim to create healthier, more productive employees and reduce healthcare costs. By engaging employees in their health, workplace wellness programs may be able to encourage well-being and prevent disease before it starts, according to UnitedHealthcare. The value of corporate wellness incentives has increased to $742 per employee annually, up from $521 in 2013, according to a recent survey by National Business Group on Health (NBGH).
For more information and the full survey results, click here.
