According to the Wellness Council of America, employers benefit by reducing sick leave by an average of 26.78 percent and reducing health care costs by 26 percent. For every dollar spent on health and wellness programs, the company gains roughly $5.81 dollars back.

Employees also benefit beyond experiencing fewer health problems. Fifty-nine percent of employees reported having more energy and getting more work done; while 51 percent said they work harder once a wellness program is in place. A wellness program is also an incentive to keep employees at the company longer, since most workers today expect employee wellness plans to be offered at their company.

To increase participation, companies are offering incentives and rewards to employees who get on the health bandwagon. And a cash reward isn’t always the best way to encourage participation. Gift cards, access to healthy foods, and other non-cash incentives get the most feedback from employees.

How to Start Your Wellness Program

Workout at Work
It’s important to encourage physical activity during the day. If you follow this blog or own a standing desk, you’re well aware of how sitting all day is bad for your health. Working out at the gym isn’t doing your body any favors if you’re in a chair for nine hours. So turn your sedentary office into an active workspace that increases flexibility. Consider stand up meetings, walking during lunch, and encourage workers to take the stairs. If you’re on a budget and not every employee can use a standing desk, even bringing in one or two provides another option to increase movement.

Educate Employees
Provide a nurse hotline where employees can call in and discuss their health concerns. It’s a more private outlet that workers can use to get one-on-one education from a health professional. Another option is to bring in doctors or speakers to give info sessions on everything from eating habits to general health and wellness practices. Offer an incentive to employees who choose to attend (maybe a free nutritious lunch during the seminar?).

Provide Stress Management
We’ve posted quite a bit on stress management lately, since it’s typically the number one cause of employee absenteeism and poor health. Stress has been linked to heart disease, lack of sleep and high blood pressure. Beyond poor health, it lowers worker satisfaction and decreases productivity. In your employee wellness plan, provide a stress management program for workers. Bringing in outside councilors or psychologists can give guidance and tools on stress management to improve worker health.

Offer Healthy Choices
Sometimes working through lunch is inevitable, so employers can take this as an opportunity to provide healthy food choices at the office. Offer nuts, trail mix and fresh fruit instead of a traditional vending machine. And replace sodas with water and juice. If your company has a cafeteria, switch up the menu to focus on items that encourage better nutrition, like lots of vegetable sides or a salad bar.

Employee wellness plans don’t have to be expensive or completely change your office, but showing employees that you care about their health is important. And it’s even more important that executives participate, to lead by example.

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The corporate wellness infographic discusses how nutritious food affects overall productivity, and includes a study released by the International Labor Organization (ILO). The results of the study concluded that nutrition habits do have a direct impact on productivity.

And according to the World Health Organization (WHO), proper nourishment can raise national productivity levels by 20 percent! Brain-loving foods that help boost productivity include nuts, fish and dark chocolate. And of course fruits and vegetables like blueberries, avocado and raw carrots made the cut.

The wellness infographic provides more evidence that corporate health programs are necessary for better business, and making nutritious food available to employees is even more important. Employers will experience a reduction in sick days, number of workplace accidence, and instead increase productivity and overall morale.

So with that, start stocking up on your apples and oranges!

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Wellness programs have become a popular solution for employers looking to avoid high medical coverage and keep workers in business. Instead of offering a gym membership or sending encouraging memos, employers are now making even greater efforts toward disease prevention.

Gift cards and other incentives are given to employees who agree to get a physical assessment and make plans to improve the state of their current health. Some companies offer rewards for employees who set and meet specific goals, like improving their blood pressure by so many points.

Health and wellness programs started to receive occasional backlash from employees who felt an invasion of privacy, or from employees who were penalized for not participating. To resolve the issue, companies hired outside businesses to create personal surveys or run the wellness program to ensure privacy protection.

The outside company provides a general overview of the entire office’s health status, like a third of employees have high blood pressure. Personal details of individuals are not shared thus avoiding privacy concerns.

According to the Wall Street Journal, today almost 90 percent of employers offer wellness incentives. Beyond encouraging better health practices outside of the office, employers are changing the way offices function. Instead of vending machines with unhealthy snacks and processed food, employers are bringing in healthier choices for employees. And food court meals are being replaced with nutritious options.

However, wellness programs and incentives may be without visible results unless companies change the way employees work during the day. Countless studies prove that a sedentary lifestyle is directly linked to heart disease, obesity and diabetes. The risk remains even if employees workout at the gym for an hour every day.

Companies have noticed the growing trends of sedentary behavior and how it affects employee wellness and even the number of sick days taken. Now employers are investing in alternative workstations like adjustable desks that encourage more movement and allow employees to refrain from sitting for long periods.

Along with the initial wellness programs, employers have found ways to keep employees moving while at work. One option is creating incentives for employees who stand for so many minutes every hour, or if an employee uses a treadmill adjustable desk, offering a reward once so many miles are completed.

Adjustable desks are an easy way to improve employee health to keep them at the office and help them stay active. According to several studies, the risk of disease is significantly reduced if a person makes small movements throughout the day. This includes switching from sitting to standing. It even has the power to extend your lifespan.

Does your company offer incentives and rewards if you make an effort to improve your health? How have you seen your workplace change once these programs are in place?

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