More employers are encouraging employees to quit smoking with incentives (or penalties!) According to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM’s) 2018 Employee Benefits survey report, 16% of employers provide a discount on health insurance premiums to people who do not use tobacco products, 10% offer a discount for participating in a program to quit smoking and 18% impose a smoking surcharge.

Given the often high-valued health care discounts, many employers are turning to nicotine testing to discourage dishonesty and ensure incentives are appropriately distributed. 

“The purpose of worksite wellness is not to change people, but to change the culture.”
-Dr. Dee Edington

What does "Workplace Wellness" mean to you? Is it a business necessity or just a fluffy HR benefit?

Our very own National Account Executive Sara Garcia wrote a feature article for the ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal® September/October 2012 issue.

Have you ever thought about how important a strong foundation is for your worksite wellness program?

It's like building a house without a solid base — you can put up walls and a roof, but without that foundation, it won't stand strong for long.

Creating a strong foundation is really vital for a successful worksite wellness program. Just like a house needs a solid base, your wellness program also needs some key essentials to thrive. Let’s explore how you can create a strong foundation for a wellness program that really lasts.

Why are millions of people glued to their TVs relishing in the excitement of the London Olympics for two weeks? One word: Stories. It's hard not to be inspired as you hear the stories of the top athletes from around the world. The personal stories about their backgrounds, journeys, struggles, and victories have us cheering at the top of our lungs. From Usain and Missy, to Jessica and Rebecca, to Ryan and Cavendish – we feel like we know them and we become engaged with their story.

Let's say you're a workplace wellness or HR professional, and you've just finished gathering data
about the health status of your employee population. You've done biometric screenings, a health risk assessment, a medical claim analysis, and conducted an employee interest survey. 

But where do you go from here? How do you transform this data into a comprehensive wellness operating plan that drives engagement and delivers results?

Looking for ways to lower costs? One of the proven ways is by increasing employee wellness. Wellness is an investment in human capital. Employees are more likely to be on the job and performing well when they are in optimal physical and psychological health. Studies have consistently shown that healthier employees yield better bottom line results by:

• Improving employee morale
• Reducing health care costs
• Reducing sick days taken by employees
• Increasing employee productivity
• Decreasing workers’ compensation claim costs
• Enhancing the work environment and employee morale 
• Attracting new employees 

For more information on how a wellness program can improve your bottom line contact us at 888.434.4358 or news@totalwellnesshealth.com.