Employee Benefits are more important than employee wellness programs
New Research finds that employees are not using wellness programs regardless of the benefits and cost. Wellness programs are usually implemented to improve employees’ health and lower their employer’s health care cost. A study finds that wellness programs do not achieve any of these goals.
For the study, 3,300 employees of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign were given a year of access to iThrive, a workplace wellness program similar to what many companies offer workers. A control group of 1,534 didn’t get access to it at all.
Participants were split into six groups. All were offered a biometric screening, a health assessment, and classes such as chronic disease management, tai chi, and a fitness challenge. The six groups were all paid different incentives for completing each step of the program.
Researches wanted to find out if wellness programs: Do wellness programs have any effects on health outcomes, medical spending and other measures including productivity?, Can money spur more people to participate?, & finally, who’s most likely to participate?
Their study found that wellness programs-even those with incentives-don’t change employees’ behavior much. The findings were published as a working paper at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Employees that are likely to take advantage of their employer’s wellness offerings are healthy people who don’t spend a lot on health care, and employees with the highest health-care costs are the least likely to participate.
It is proven that if employee benefits are offered they are more likely to be happy and dedicated to the company. They feel secure and appreciated.
Cosmo Insurance Agency is knowledgeable on all types of group health insurance. We can help you choose the benefits you and your employees need.
GET A QUOTE
732-363-3888
