Workplace wellness programs--steps to prevent injuries, long-term disability, and improve health care costs--are not being implemented by small businesses, according to a study that says they have the most at risk.
Surveys by YourWellnessAdvantage.com, a free workplace wellness resource for small and mid-size businesses, found 28 percent of small companies with 10 to 99 employees, had or were implementing workplace wellness programs, while 78 percent of businesses with 100 to 2,499 employees had or were in the process of implementing them.
The National Business Group of Health reports for every $1 spent on workplace wellness programs, employers can see $3.27 in benefits, said Lisa Gable, executive director of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, which runs YourWellnessAdvantage.com, according to UPI.
In the survey, only 20 percent of small companies said they strongly agree that the programs benefits exceed the cost. Thirty-eight percent of larger companies strongly agreed with the statement.
Gable says smaller companies are not aware of the benefits these programs can have on their businesses and have greater at stake for the health and productivity of their workplace than larger companies.
