Corporate Wellness – Kim Torrence

Benefits of Corporate Wellness

Wellness programs help people adopt and maintain healthy behaviors. This is perhaps the biggest benefit of having a wellness program. Healthy behaviors lead to lower health risks, and lower health risks lead to less chronic disease. With less chronic disease employees have fewer health care costs.

According to the U.S Chamber of Commerce report, approximately 80 percent of people are not ready to take action to change their health behaviors at any given time. (pg. 9) However, well-designed wellness programs have been shown to demonstrate a return on investment of $1.50 to $3 per dollar spent over a two- to nine-year timeframe. (p. 16)

Employees Feel Valued and Connected

It's always a challenge to increase employee participation, especially when businesses benefit more from higher employee performance than the employees themselves, but with offerings like nutrition education, meditation classes, yoga, nap rooms, or even something as simple as creating a fun spot to relax employees feel valued and will be more likely to engage with other employees and improve their own productivity habits at work. When done right, wellness programs can help bring employees together and build a sense of work community in a way that’s separate from their job.

Increases Company's Performance

Physical activity gives people a boost of energy which translates directly into higher productivity at a workplace. A 2016 Gallup study found that copanies with higher employee engagement have lower turnover, experience fewer safety incidents and are overall more successful.

Lowers Healthcare Costs and Makes Recruiting Easier

Companies that don't offer wellness programs put themselves at a competitive disadvantage. Job seekers, especially millennials, want to work for companies that offer robust wellness programs and truly care about them as people, not just as workers. It's a fact - healthy employees cost less than unhealthy employees! Experts find that employers who emphasize fitness can save an average $3-6 in benefits and healthcare costs for every $1 invested in workplace wellness program. (University of Michigan Research Center)

Reduces Absenteeism & Promotes Healthy Living

In the "Workplace Wellness Programs Study Report" published by Rand Health Quarterly, researchers suggest that wellness programs can have a significant positive effect on employees’ long-term health — and their lives. Such programs are instrumental to decreasing the number of sick days your employees will take, motivate positive long-term behavior changes, and lead to lower absenteeism.

Reduces Stress

Healthcare industry experts estimate that between 70 to 90 percent of healthcare spending is caused by problems associated with unhealthy lifestyle choices that can lead to chronic diseases. Workplace wellness programs educate employees on how to feel better on the job, both mentally and physically. Corporate fitness programs offer exercises for desk-bound workers and tips for proper ergonomics to reduce stress and muscle strain during the work hours which includes everything from simple stretching exercises to scheduled workouts that break up the monotony of daily work routine.

As a 200-hour registered yoga teacher, I combine my background in mental health and mindfulness with yoga to provide restorative, regenerative yoga and wellness classes to help employees better manage stress and develop healthy coping strategies. Classes I offer include:

Gentle yoga
Beginner yoga
Stress management skills
Introduction to Mindfulness
The Mindful Co-Worker

Please Contact Me if you would like to learn more about my offerings.