03/27/2018

Is Wellness Just an Employee Perk?

Some believe the next big thing in wellness will be volunteer options

Corporate-sponsored wellness programs continue to be popular, but not for the typical reasons.

While sponsoring health club memberships and Fitbit leaderboards is a great way to get employees focused on healthy living, the real benefit of these programs is cultural cachet. “These offerings are moving to closer to being a perk than being about wellness,” said Michael Maniccia, specialist leader for Deloitte in Los Angeles.

According to the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans’ “Workplace Wellness 2017 Survey Report,” while 75 percent of employers now offer wellness initiatives, only 1 in 4 said the main reason was to control or reduce health-related costs. Instead, they are looking at these programs as a way to drive engagement and improve employee satisfaction. Companies also use these programs to lure top talent, offering increasingly over-the-top offerings — think climbing walls and laser tag — to brand their corporate culture as a cool place to work.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Workforce.