What Does Wellness Mean in the Workplace?

“Health and wellness” is becoming a commonly-heard phrase at businesses and organizations–and for good reason. As healthcare premium costs continue to escalate for employers, many companies are becoming increasingly interested in preventive care and wellness activities, specifically through implementing onsite health centers. Marathon Health’s onsite centers can help increase revenue by improving health and wellness and, as a result, drastically decreasing the financial drain of employees who are frequently absent or less-productive due to preventable chronic health conditions.

Increasing Wellness and Health in the Office

It is becoming increasingly apparent to many businesses and government agencies that the most effective way to increase rates of health and wellness in the workplace is by instituting an onsite health center. Onsite centers combine acute care, chronic condition care, preventive care and health coaching, in addition to educational tools that empower employees to make the move towards a healthier lifestyle on their own.

Healthy employees are not only happy employees—they are also productive employees. According to Forbes Magazine, an extensive study by Virgin HealthMiles Inc. of 1,300 businesses and 10,000 of their employees shows that a workplace culture of health and wellness has been found to show “a strong link between the wellness and vitality of an organization, and the wellness of employees, the result of which was increased job morale, satisfaction, commitment and performance.”

Marathon Health’s onsite centers have proven results when it comes to performance and productivity increases. Not only do employers see a reduction absenteeism of as much as 5%, the Marathon Health model has shown up to 10% reduction in presenteeism (employees who attend work, but work below full productivity due to illness) over time, which has been found to affect employer payrolls by as much as 9%.

Not only is an onsite health center beneficial for the health and wellness of employees (who can receive free or reduced-cost care at or near their place of work) employers are also seeing enormous benefits from the centers in terms of their bottom line. Businesses are realizing increased savings from the redirection of basic acute care from expensive physicians’ offices, emergency rooms and urgent care centers to these onsite centers, where care is delivered at a fraction of the cost and with improved quality. Marathon Health typically redirects 50% of all primary care to its onsite clinics. In addition, we are able to provide 80-100% of needed occupational health services.

Creating a culture of health and wellness at your business via an onsite health center is a true win-win situation. Employers gain trust and loyalty to a company that is working hard to better the health of themselves and their families, and in turn, employers gain a healthier, more engaged and more productive workforce.

Getting Started with Group Wellness Activities

Nutritious Team Building

At Marathon Health, we are happy to support our customers in providing health and wellness activities and educational programs for their organization during the summer season. Some of our most popular programs include “Maintain, Don’t Gain” and “Winning at Losing” which promote fitness and nutrition through educational sessions and fun activities. As part of their “Maintain, Don’t Gain” program, our customer Lenovo, Inc., recently encouraged employees to share a healthy treat for a chance to have the winning recipe featured at the onsite cafeteria. Doing so not only helped to bring the organization together for a taste test, but was a great opportunity to support their employees in pursuing healthy choices.

Fitness and Fun

For an active approach, try providing an outlet for exercise AND team building. Consider sponsoring employees to participate in a local summertime race or Fun-Run. Host a company outing to a nearby park or recreational facility where employees can participate in a light walk, hike, or game. Offer time during the day for wellness opportunities in- house such as yoga, meditation, or a light afternoon walk. For a simple, social idea, organize a company game night of either traditional or theme-inspired activities. Be sure to offer small prizes for the winners!

Caused-Based Wellness

Want to give back to your community? Inspire your organization to come together for a cause. Host a company-wide fundraiser or food drive. Offer an incentive like a healthy catered lunch for meeting your goal. Encourage volunteer opportunities throughout the year for a chance to bond over a positive initiative.

Feeling inspired yet? Get creative with your workplace wellness opportunities. Whether you’re celebrating summertime with food, fitness, or fundraising, be sure to wear sunscreen and have fun!