U.S. employees work harder, are more productive at work and take fewer sick days when participating in wellness benefit programs, a new study finds.
According to the latest Principal Financial Well-Being Index, an online survey conducted in October 2011, 41 percent of workers agree that having a wellness program encourages them to work harder, perform better at work.
The index, which includes responses from 1,121 employees and 533 retirees, was released Jan. 19 by the Principal Financial Group and conducted by Harris Interactive, a leading market research firm.
According to the research, 52 percent of workers – up from 37 percent last year – said they have a higher energy level to help them be more productive at work by participating in a wellness program.
Another 35 percent – up from 28 percent in 2010 – said that they have missed fewer days of work by participating in a wellness program.
Additionally, about two out of five employees, or 41 percent, strongly agree or somewhat agree that wellness benefits encourage them to work harder and perform better on the job. Four in 10 employees strongly agree or somewhat agree that having an employer sponsored wellness program would encourage them to stay in their current employment situation.
“Americans’ increasing sense of personal responsibility for their physical well-being leads to workers showing up to work and staying productive while there,” said Lee Dukes, president of Principal Wellness Company, a subsidiary of the Principal Financial Group, in a statement. “Employers who embrace a culture of wellness in their workplaces can benefit in return with not only costs savings, but healthier and more engaged employees.”
According to the survey, 45 percent of workers said the top benefit for participating in a wellness program was to improve their overall physical health. Another 30 percent of employees said they participate in work-sponsored wellness programs because they receive some sort of incentive for doing so. Meanwhile, 29 percent said the biggest benefit of participating in a wellness program is reduced personal healthcare costs, greater chance of living a longer, healthier life and reduced stress. Fifty-five percent of workers rated wellness activities offered by an employer as very successful or somewhat successful in improving health and reducing health risks.
But when it comes to which wellness benefits employees want, they often don’t line up with what many employers are already offering.
Out of the respondents, 19 percent said their employer offers online wellness information, 18 percent offer educational tools or resources, 17 percent offer fitness center discounts, and 17 percent offer printed wellness information. Not surprisingly, the survey found that larger employers – those with 501 to 1,000 employees – were more likely to offer wellness benefits. Access to a wellness expert was only available to 11 percent of those surveyed.
In the survey, employees expressed the desire that their companies offer more wellness benefits. For example, 25 percent said they would like to see their employer offer fitness center discounts, 22 percent would like on-site preventive screenings, 21 percent would prefer access to wellness experts such as nutritionists, and 19 percent said they would like on-site fitness facilities.
Out of the employees surveyed, the ones whose companies offered wellness programs said companies encourage employees to participate in wellness programs in a number of ways. About 18 percent of respondents indicated that their management encourages them to participate in wellness benefits. Another 16 percent of employees said that their employer offers lower health insurance costs for participating in wellness benefits at their workplace, and 12 percent of employees are offered other financial incentives, such as gift certificates or discounts, or are offered cash incentives for participating.
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