A wellness program is a comprehensive health initiative designed to maintain or improve well-being through proper diet, exercise, stress management, and illness prevention. These programs are intended to improve and promote health and fitness and are usually offered through the workplace, although insurance plans can offer them directly to their enrollees. Local and state governments and insurance companies may also offer incentive-based wellness programs aimed at promoting the health of the public, their employees, or insured individuals. Some examples of wellness programs include programs to help you stop smoking, diabetes management programs, weight loss programs, and preventative health screenings.
Wellness programs can provide a lot of great benefits to both employers and employees. For employers, these programs can improve productivity, decrease sick days, lower insurance expenses, reduce turnover, and lower workers compensation claims. For employees, wellness programs can provide financial incentives or other resources to stay healthy, as well as an increased sense of wellbeing. A corporate wellness program can cater to any seven of these areas, but most wellness programs are generally centered around physical and mental wellness. The type of wellness program a company implements is typically designed around the results they’re trying to achieve with the program.
