Why Companies Should Care About the Health of Their Employees?
Gerri Mason Hall
Senior Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, Sodexo North America
Companies need to take employee health and well-being seriously, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because it can have a significant impact on the overall performance of the organization. In addition to the obvious – healthier, happier employees – organizations can save millions on health care and disability costs, increase workforce productivity, reduce employee absenteeism and decrease rates of illness and injuries. Additionally, corporate-sponsored health and wellness programs are an essential element to competitive employee compensation and benefit packages which attract and retain the best talent.
Implementing a workplace wellness program is easy. Implementing a workplace wellness program that successfully meets the needs of the individual and the organization is much harder. Companies have to integrate individual priorities with organizational strategies to produce results that will benefit the employee, their family, the organization and the community. Creating a corporate culture that makes healthy choices easy for employees requires lifestyle and behavior change that take time, perseverance and commitment. Here are three simple ways to make any corporate health and wellness program better:
