Fitness In The Workplace Essay

Communication of wellness activities is important in the workplace. In order to get employees involved in the wellness programs that a company has to offer, many times wellness teams in addition to promoting a regular fitness routine, they will hold a variety of competitions that could include weight loss competitions for a certain period of time. Other competitions may be available for employees who cannot exercise due to physical complications. Wellbeing in the workplace can also include preventive care webinars, stress management seminars; financial 401K planning for the future, smoking cessation, community opportunities and getting involved in charitable events. Some companies are bringing chair massages into the workplace. Some employers believe it makes employees happy, is a stress release, and spiritual uplift.

The Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, with the intent of ensuring that most people in the United States have medical insurance. With this new healthcare system came the responsibility that individuals would have to take initiatives in an effort to stay healthy or at the least, increase their level of activity and health awareness, making them more responsible for their own wellness. The preventative care portion included in the Affordable Care Act is one of the fundamental items of the law and is a particularly meaningful, very positive attribute in health care reform for the American people. Wellness in the workplace has become an essential issue to help reduce companies’ medical cost, and to help employees get on track to know their numbers, get healthy, and have a positive healthy mental attitude. Many employees do not understand or know how to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. With the rising cost of healthcare, especially relating to people not taking care of their bodies, wellness in the workplace has become even more critical. Author Lori Breiner (2007) “believes wellness in the workplace has economic benefits for organizations, because if workers are healthy, they miss less time from work.” Breiner’s theory would suggest that better health increases productivity and profits in the workplace.

While part of this supposition is incorrect, there is some truth behind the notion. Larger companies can negotiate better rates for their employees because of the volume of coverage, compared to small or medium businesses (Urbel, 2013). Insurance companies are more apt to give a large company lower premiums because of the volume that is needed to cover their employees, as well as the lower actuarial risk of containing costs for serious illnesses (Ubel, 2013). A University of Michigan study found that between 2000-2011, small and medium businesses have been decreasing employer-based health insurance coverage, while larger companies (over one hundred employees) have consistently provided coverage (Ubel, 2013). This trend started before the passage of the ACA and supports that small and medium businesses were having difficulty in providing this benefit to their employees consistently.

One of the biggest problems small employers face today is the steadily rising costs of health coverage for its employees. This paper covers how health care premiums have risen in double digits for the past five consecutive years, how many small businesses are forced to drop health care coverage for their employees because of the out of control costs, and what small businesses are doing to control the costs and still offer health care coverage to their employees.

Foremost, the healthier a society is, the more productive employees are, which boosts revenue. When an employee’s health is in question, an employer may actually lose 77 percent of productivity, making the loss greater than that of health care expenses. These numbers go up with the combination of lack of exercise, 96 percent loss, and unhealthy eating habits, 93 percent loss, said a study from Brigham Young University, according to an article in a 2012 Education Letter. The study included “those who did not believe their workplace environment would support them in becoming physically and emotionally healthier were more likely to

When a business hires an employee they are looking for a person to do a job to the best of their ability and poor health could hinder those efforts. When a person is inattentive and lackadaisical during a work day they are wasting that companies time. Employers should be encouraged to set into place requirements for exercise and healthy eating of all their employees to ensure the utmost productivity of that company. Companies with cafeterias could make sure that only or mostly heathy food is served for breakfasts or lunches. They could also have exercise classes available for employees at lunch time, if they have the space. Or they could try to arrange a discount deal for employees at a nearby gym. This way they would be encouraging employees to be healthy and also helping to keep the business

In the early 1930’s, the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Organization led consumers to hospitalization and medical coverage under their own charter for everyone who sought coverage for one prepaid fee.  Years later, other insurance companies, such as Kaiser Permanente began to offer coverage to consumers within their geographic boundary. However, health care spending is on the rise. Over the last couple of decades the expenditures have risen from 724.0 billion dollars in 1990 to 2,486.3 billion in 2009(US census, 2011). Today, we are a nation with Health Care Reform signed into law by President Obama

Internal rivalry: Industry demand is driven by the rising costs of providing medical care. The profitability of most MCOs depends on efficient operations and the ability to negotiate favorable contracts with healthcare providers. With respect to price competition, average premium prices charged to customers have risen more than 78% since 2001 . These industry-wide increases suggest MCOs engage primarily in non-price competition. An example that supports this suggestion is the recent growth in firms’ provider networks, which can be measured by the number of doctor’s offices, hospitals, and pharmacies that accept the insurance plan in a specific geographic area

Health insurance is, on paper, a simple concept. Many citizens send small amounts of money to a single company so that they won’t have to pay a huge hospital bill in the case of injury. The company then spends that large pool of money as they see

Health and wellness in the work place is a vital part to a company’s success. Employees who are healthier and more productive are less likely to call out from sickness. There are not many companies that have affordable health care coverage for employees. More companies should make healthcare affordable for their employees and their family. Research has been done on how effective health and wellness programs can be in the workplace. Throughout the reading these points will be discussed. The effectiveness of health and wellness in the workplace will also be spoken of. Health and wellness activities in the workplace will be a positive move for companies and employees.

Though office jobs may not seem to pose health risks, there are many ergonomic challenges the company must face. For instance, sitting at a desk all day can encourage weight gain, induce poor posture, and cause carpal tunnel. To reduce these risks, the company provides free food but, they place the healthier options in front. This encourages employees to choose healthy alternatives and helps decrease the possibility of weight gain. Furthermore, the company encourages movement in the workplace by allowing workers to take breaks to go to the gym. However, my favorite solution is the treadmill desks. Basically, treadmills transforms sedentary jobs into active ones. Personally, I believe Becker should have treadmill desks. I go crazy sitting in

My employer offers an incentive program where employees get money in their Health Savings Account or Health Reimbursement Account for reducing their waist circumference each year. We also provide two exercise classes per week free of charge to employees after the normal work day.

There are a vast number of types of workplace wellness programs. In general, workplace wellness programs encourage people to take steps to prevent the onset or worsening of a health condition or sickness and to adopt lifestyles that are healthier. Businesses may implement many types of workplace wellness programs, from onsite gyms to simple workplace wellness newsletters. While some corporations have instituted very comprehensive workplace wellness

Through the many stresses and tensions that employees face on a daily basis in the workplace and at home, wellness programs were setup to assist in alleviating the health risks that are brought on by prolonged workplace stress. Health wellness programs are beneficial to employee health outcomes, but they are extremely beneficial to organizations in regards to employee retention, and job satisfaction. In my paper you will read how wellness programs continue to have considerable growth, even though wellness programs are a direct cost to the employer, they have had positive benefits to the employer that prove that they produce a great return on investment for organizations. Research suggests that even in this economic climate, businesses should not be focusing on the costs of time and money for these wellness programs but should be looking at these programs as an asset that will give their business a competitive advantage over others, and will reduce turnover and eventually save the organization money. Still some businesses yield to the traditional wisdom that employees in the workplace need to focus solely on work and nothing else, however this unfashionable way of thinking is steadily declining. It is becoming the norm for large organizations to implement employee wellness program, as many are continuously recognizing the long-lasting positive effects on the employee and the organization/employer.

The employee and the employer’s desire for fitness is based on two different reasons, as a employees desire is to be more fit and healthier with less use of sick time as well as for their appearance. On the