The role of workers fitness in making the job better

By Gina Smith


Most of us work because we have to make a living somehow. We get employment in various jobs. Some of us work indoors; some of us work out of doors. Most of us work a nine to five. Then there are daytime jobs and also nighttime. Irrespective of the job conditions and timing it is an accepted fact that the health of the employee is very important factor.

The big question arises, is it cost effective?

An example is the multinational Amway, which employs 3900 locals. The company says that for every dollar it spends on fitness for employees, it gets two dollars back in savings. How do they justify that? Most employees who have participated in their wellness plan have lowered their medical and drug claims by eight percent. Some have lost weight. One woman who works for Amway lost 85 pounds in 18 months. She has more energy than ever and that definitely translates to a quality work atmosphere for both her and the company. It is an recognized fact that such workforce oriented fitness program take as long as three years to start giving returns. This is because of the time taken by people to change their habits.

It is also come to notice that the health expenditure of those employees who do not take part in such fitness program rose up to 23 percent.

Another company, Flexco, located in Illinois, has established a program to encourage employees to eat better and exercise. Because the program was so successful, this Grand Rapids company was able to move to a high-deductible health program cutting annual premium costs by $100,000. That definitely affects the bottom line. Furthermore, such companies are even willing to spend for the employees

As an incentive, the employees earn wellness points when they join this program. This will help them reduce their expenditure on health costs by about 850 dollars. This is an important insensitive in getting employees to buy in to the program. This would also ensure that the employee joins it willingly and not by way of any force.

This program can be incorporated in the overall strategy of the firm. This would benefit the company in many ways. They have healthy people who are willing to stay healthy and combine that with the goals of the company. Furthermore, it also enhances the working atmosphere of the company.

One employee was unhappy because he had to get a physical until the doctor discovered a serious problem and was able to correct it before it got worse.

It is evident from all this that it is the it would be definitely beneficial for the company in the long run, if they encourage the employees to stay fit, either on their own, or with the help of the company. Some companies even offer free membership to their employees in fitness centers and health groups. The examples shows that you can significantly lower the bottom line when you have healthier employees. This makes for a better workplace.




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