welfare workplace debate: employers should adopt these programs
full-time employees in the US work about 1700 hours per year. With so much time spent in daily routine, healthy habits can often be forgotten. To fight against this, more than 0 percent of large employers and 73 percent of small employers are sponsoring wellness initiatives in the workplace. For many employers, these programs promise economies face rising health care costs, and their employees, the ability to start or maintain healthy behaviors such as the development, obtaining vaccines against influenza and screening of hypertension.
Encourage healthy behaviors while reducing costs sounds like an easy win for all concerned, but not everyone is on board with the idea. Critics say these programs are expensive, put the privacy of employees at risk and discrimination against employees if they can not - or will not - participate. In fact, there have been several high-profile lawsuits accusing wellness programs are not, in practice, voluntary and that the protections outlined in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are neither clear nor sufficient to ensure that employers comply with the americans with Disabilities Act.
So are wellness programs in the workplace is worth it? We have summarized the main arguments in the table below so you can decide for yourself.
| PROS WORK WELLNESS PROGRAMS | CONS WORK OF WELFARE PROGRAMS |
|---|---|
| wellness programs save money in the long run. A meta-analysis evaluated by peers received (Baicker et al., 2010) of the literature showed an average cost reduction of 3.27 health per $ 1 you spend and reduce costs related to absenteeism $ 2.73 for every $ 1 spent. Studies also show disability, workers' compensation and recruitment and training costs are reduced through wellness programs in the workplace | welfare programs cost a lot of money to run and do not have enough return on investment. Recent studies have shown that the return on investment in wellness programs is a ratio of 1 to 1 or less. The results of the research Baicker often cited meta-analysis has not been replicated despite attempts |
| welfare benefit programs the culture of the company and attract talent. A Virgin Pulse 2014 Survey on Workplace Health Priorities found 87 percent of respondents agree that wellness programs have a positive impact on the corporate culture. It is believed that morale is improved and inter-employee relations - leading to an overall improvement of working conditions. In addition, 88 percent of respondents cited the wellness programs in the workplace as important in deciding an employer. | welfare programs are not, in practice, voluntary. The ACA provides that participation in wellness initiatives in the workplace must be voluntary, but does not describe a clear framework on how it should be accomplished. In practice, employees may feel that wellness programs are required because of financial incentives and disincentives related to participation. |
| wellness programs to improve behavior and health outcomes. many companies and employees report improvements in health behaviors after participating in wellness programs in the workplace. For example, Johnson & Johnson employees followed 15 years after the start of its welfare programs. They found their initiatives contributed to a 75 percent reduction in the number of employees who smoke and a 50 percent reduction in the number of employees with high blood pressure and sedentary lifestyles. | welfare programs are discriminatory and may discourage people from seeking health care. A study by Horwitz et al. (2013) showed that it is very difficult for well-being in the workplace programs have significant returns without being discriminatory towards people with disabilities, chronic diseases or low socioeconomic status. This could mean those who benefit most wellness programs are discouraged from participating. |
| wellness increase productivity and reduce absenteeism and invalidity pension programs. A fitness program by Pacific Bell telecom giant has reduced employee absences by .8 percent - saving the company $ 2 million per year A rigorous study of blue-collar workers found that wellness programs complete workplace. reduced disability by 14 percent over two years. The savings from disability benefits alone was sufficient to cover the cost of the program. | The wellness programs are a violation of privacy. Many employers collecting biometrics by blood tests to gather comprehensive information about the health of their employees in terms of preventable chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and hypertension blood. many employees believe that the collection of biometric data to be an infringement of their privacy and rejection being "strong armed" in health behaviors by their employer. |
There are compelling arguments on both sides of the welfare debate in the workplace. Companies will take a careful look at the advantages and disadvantages of wellness programs in the workplace and consult health administrators to design wellness programs in the workplace or other strategies to control costs of health care. Companies that decide to implement such programs must meet the challenges of creating an effective program while preventing discrimination, ensuring privacy and to keep costs in line.
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