January 13, 2023
Not that far back, employee wellness meant offering health coverage for your workers. Today, wellness means much more than that.
A solid employee wellness program today encompasses a more comprehensive understanding of well-being. As such, wellness has gone beyond physical health to include mental, emotional, and at times, financial health.
Many forward-thinking companies have replaced or are transitioning from health coverage to embracing wellness on a broader scope. While there are many ways to do this, testing is one of the primary forms of wellness.
6 out of 10 Americans suffer from chronic diseases, the more common ones being diabetes, lung and kidney disease, cancer, and heart disease.
Wellness testing programs roll out specific baseline tests that help identify existing and budding health problems. Wellness exam providers can also provide access to prevention tools to help employees live healthier.
Some frequently conducted tests include:
These benefit all employees, from those who skip their annual health checks to those on medication for chronic conditions and everyone in between.
But why is this something you should invest in?
Happy, healthy employees are a delight to be around, but that’s not all. Here are six reasons why employee wellness testing is essential to your organization.
Wellness testing can be fitted into your existing insurance plan, meaning you are not paying for it out of pocket.
In line with this, having insurance cover for your employees means taking out a group plan, which attracts some tax benefits.
Organizations can deduct up to 100% of their insurance premiums from their federal taxes upon qualification.
Health insurance coverage can also qualify your business for reduced payroll taxes.
Employee engagement speaks to how much employees invest their emotional, cognitive, and behavioral energies toward positive organizational outcomes.
Engaged employees are energetic, upbeat, absorbed in their work, find great sense in their work, and always look for opportunities to learn and grow.
Wellness testing tackles physical and mental health, including fatigue and stress. When these are addressed, it makes it easier for employees to be more engaged with their organization, colleagues, roles, and customers. This, in turn, improves output which can translate into higher revenues.
Employees today look at more than the paycheck when choosing who to work for. Perks and benefits are considerable attractions to a job. Wellness programs fall under this category.
Therefore, offering wellness programs can be essential to your hiring program and help you stand out as a good employer.
Ultimately, employees want to work for an organization that is seen and known to be mindful of its employers. Wellness programs are one way to demonstrate and actualize this.
If you are going to attract the best talents in the market, a wellness program can be the element that differentiates you from your competitors.
Turnover costs are a significant expense for businesses of all sizes. Given the cost and time it takes to advertise, screen, find the right fit and train them, it makes perfect sense to prioritize loyalty and retention.
This is important because a high employee turnover:
Just as wellness programs attract good talent, they can help you retain your best hires.
A workplace culture helps define who you are as an organization to your internal and external customers.
Providing employees with wellness programs shows that an organization appreciates them and their contribution toward organizational goals. This shows your commitment to a positive, healthy work culture.
Employees who feel their employers prioritize a positive work culture tend to stay longer at their jobs, work harder, get along better with colleagues, and are more productive.
Wellness programs support employees’ physical and mental wellness. Individuals in good shape mentally and physically are more focused, driven, goal-oriented, and upbeat about work. They also record fewer sick days.
Besides that, a wellness program will help employees get the healthcare they need as they need it and get ahead of potential health problems as early on as possible. All else aside, this is the right thing to do.
The success of a wellness program is only as good as its uptake. How do you encourage employees to utilize this benefit?
The first is awareness. Communicate about the program’s availability, access, and services available to them.
The second is management buy-in. Employees are more likely to use wellness programs if they see management and business executives using them. This is especially the case with employee programs taking place in the office during work hours. Seeing management make a beeline for testing can help ease employees’ anxiety about stepping away from their desks.
Making these checks compulsory might not look right because health is very personal. However, management taking up the opportunities to get their health in check can incentivize employees to do the same. Supervisors can also be requested to encourage their team members to attend the health sessions.
Lastly, get feedback and employee input into what would make wellness testing more effective and meaningful to them.
At Wolfe, we appreciate the value your employees bring to the table. As such, we partner with organizations like yours to create wellness testing solutions that impact your employees the most.
Wolfe Inc. is here to help employers and medical providers combat the fentanyl overdose epidemic by offering the most comprehensive employment drug testing services available. Our Team of employment toxicology testing experts are here to assist your practice, company or school system with any questions you might have!
