FINAL FRAME – Reaching for the goal

With a new year comes new expectations.

For many companies, those expectations include offering health and wellness incentives to employees.

“Implementing a wellness program sends a message to the employee that you care about them,” says Mary Felton, founder/president of HR Business Partners, LLC.

According to the Governors’ Council on Physical Fitness and Health, studies show that encouraging physical fitness among employees increases production. This is proven through studies that show healthier employees miss less work. In addition, the council has also shown that employer-sponsored wellness programs decrease health care costs. The average cost-to-benefit ratio for wellness programs can be about $3.48 saved per $1 invested, the council says. And last but not least, better morale in general is another benefit to employer-sponsored wellness programs.

“An employer may see an increase in productivity. If the employee is healthier, their stress level may go down, they may call in sick less and have more energy, which in turn leads to a happier, healthier and more productive employee,” says Felton.

And many employees take advantage of the programs, getting those gym memberships in January and electing to make a healthful resolution for 2012.

— By Kate Baer