After payroll and taxes, the cost of health insurance for small business owners represents one of their highest operating expenses. One way to help contain costs is to offer a Wellness Program to your staff. Research indicates that a well-balanced lifestyle, including proper diet, exercise, and leisure time, leads to healthier and more productive employees. In turn, employee medical utilization is reduced and health premiums are lowered. Plus, a healthy staff will have fewer sick days, be on time more often, and stay focused throughout the day.
On the other side of the coin, other studies carried out on work stress indicate that a stressful and unbalanced lifestyle can generate cardiovascular risk. And, of course, as an employee’s health declines, health insurance utilization increases, hurting employee premiums.
A study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine found that men who report high job strain, the combination of high demands and little control in the office, have carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). IMT is considered a reliable way to determine the early stages of atherosclerosis, the narrowing and stiffness of the arteries. A project investigator wrote: “Prospective studies in older subjects have shown that even a 0.1 mm increase in carotid IMT can increase the risk of subsequent cardiovascular heart disease events by approximately 30%.”
So, do the math: healthy lifestyle = healthy employees. Healthy employees = productive employee. Productive employee = more profitable business!
So how do you do it? You’re convinced that a well-balanced work/lifestyle makes health sense for your employees and financial sense for you. You just don’t know where to start. Take these 4 easy tips:
- Create a health-conscious corporate culture. For starters, replace junk food with healthy foods. If you have a vending machine, replace the candy bar with a protein bar and the bag of chips with a bag of nuts or dried fruit. There are dozens of healthy and tasty alternatives out there. Just compare prices. If you have a soda machine, replace drinks that are high in sugar and caffeine with mineral water or decaffeinated iced tea.
- Offer health incentives. Many organizations offer exercise programs for their staff. From discounts at the local gym to Weight Watchers, yoga classes or indoor cycling, you can offer low-cost, high-impact programs for your employees.
- Be flexible. Believe it or not, most employees have a life outside of the office. Consider a flexible work week or alternative work hours, where feasible. Employees with children or who live far from the office will appreciate that it fits their lifestyle. Maybe 4 days of 10 hours can replace 5 days of 8. Or staying late on Thursdays allows them to leave early on Fridays. Be creative, but be sure to consult with a professional, as an alternate work schedule can have pay-related ramifications.
- cheer up the holidays. Most employees increased their vacation or personal days off. Everyone needs to recharge their batteries, so encourage your staff to take vacation for themselves. They will return full of energy and ready to get back to work.
Here are some simple, yet important actions you can take to improve the overall well-being of your staff and workplace. Not only will your staff appreciate it and learn how to cut back, but your small business health insurance costs will cut some of the fat too!
