An employee wellness program encompasses a group of benefits intended to promote healthier living and reduce stress. Effective wellness programs enable organizational change to improve employee performance.

Wellness programs address several aspects of wellness, including physical fitness; nutritional counseling; emotional health; ending tobacco use; career growth; positive social interactions; financial management assistance; retirement planning; and other aspects of wellness. These programs are often offered at no charge to an employee or as part of a larger benefit package.

A holistic wellness program is designed to address the physical, mental, social, financial, and occupational dimensions of wellbeing.

Studies show that organizations with high levels of employee wellness are more profitable and have lower turnover than other organizations. 

Employee wellness programs offer various tangible benefits to worker and employer alike. For employers, these benefits include lower health insurance costs for health plan sponsors; the extent of savings depends in part on employee participation rates. 

In addition, by helping improve employee physical, emotional and financial health, wellness programs pay off in increased productivity, reduced absenteeism and greater retention.

Some of the most common of employee health and wellness programs include:

• Dietary and nutrition counseling
• Smoking cessation
• Health screenings and assessments for different conditions
• On-site vaccination clinics
• Exercise programs and related activities 
• Weight loss programs
• Skills training
• Career mentoring and counseling
• Counseling for retirement planning
• Financial wellness counseling
• Emotional wellness seminars

These programs are aimed at helping promote physical, mental, social, financial and occupational wellbeing.

Before implementing a wellness initiative, an organization needs to take several steps to assess its situation:

• Determine the organization’s budgetary commitment
• Consider whether potential benefits justify additional expenditures 
• Assess the needs of its workforce, given the organization’s business or mission
• Consider barriers to participation, including employee motivation and outside commitments, staffing, and the likelihood of producing real change

Any program needs to give all employees equal access. An organization should consult with benefits consultants and insurance brokers to identify potential risks in a wellness program and ways to mitigate or offload those risks.

HUB’s approach to wellness is built on the premise, backed by research, that employee health and company performance are inextricably linked. 

It’s also essential that any wellness program aligns with an organization’s goals. HUB has vast expertise with designing and implementing health and wellness programs that encompasses most industries and knows how to work with budgets of any size.

Whether an employer needs individual wellness programs or a holistic solution that covers multiple programs, HUB can assess employee preferences and available resources to create a customized package to meet any organization’s specific and unique needs.