While there may be many keys to
the success of your business, it’s
no secret that one of the bestinvestments you can make is in your
employees’ health and well-being.
Most companies have diverse employee
populations with different health care
needs. But one thing that all employees
need to reach their personal best health is
a comprehensive, innovative wellness program. If employees feel like their employer
really cares about them, it will show in
both employee satisfaction and retention.
But living a healthy lifestyle and achieving and maintaining an optimal state of
health often depends on having the right
information. That’s why delivering the right
information to employees is essential.
“Small business owners have a responsibility to help their employees improve their
health,” says Bill Berenson, senior vice president of Aetna’s Small and Middle Market
Business for the North Central Region.
“Wellness programs that give employees
information and resources to enhance their
health and well-being are an important way
of carrying out that responsibility.”
Smart Business spoke with Berenson
about wellness programs.
What are the features of a wellness program?
A wellness program can offer employees a
wide variety of services such as discounts
on memberships at fitness clubs or home
exercise equipment, weight loss or weight
management programs, smoking cessation
programs, and discounts on alternative
health care options, such as herbal and natural remedies, vitamins and nutritional supplements, as well as massage and acupuncture therapy. These discount programs are
not insurance, but are free, added features
to many insurance plans.
How can employees take advantage of wellness programs?
Employees shouldn’t underestimate the benefits of wellness offered in an employer-sponsored wellness program. One of the
primary functions of health benefits is to
help keep employees healthy. Employees
should check to see if their plan covers
annual checkups and well-woman and
well-child visits. They should also check
for coverage or discounts for exercise programs, smoking cessation clinics, flu shots
and mental health services.
Improving our health has both immediate
and long-term quality of life benefits
because good health is one of the most
important assets we take into our retirement years.
How can employers focus on keeping
employees healthy and productive?
We believe that an integrated, total management approach is the most effective
approach. We’ve seen promising results
from our integration of medical, pharmacy,
disability, and behavioral health benefits
and programs. These programs have
helped employers improve the health and
productivity of their employees and reduce
medical costs.
How should employees be informed about
these programs?
It is important that employees be aware
of programs that could be helpful to their
individual, personal needs. This can be
achieved by having employees complete
an optional, secure health risk assessment.
After completing this assessment, employees can receive a personalized action plan
that points them toward programs that are
specifically relevant to them. This type of
targeted outreach improves the likelihood
of employees taking advantage of the services that are available to them.
How can employers benefit from a wellness
program?
Wellness programs and discounts won’t
just help employees get healthier — they
will also help maintain the ‘health’ of a successful business. Programs that promote
good health can impact worker satisfaction and productivity. They can also reduce
costs related to health benefit claims, sick
leave, absenteeism, disability and workers’
compensation, making them an important
recruiting and retention tool.
Good health is the most important driver
of good quality of life. And in most cases,
with a little work, it can be preserved
throughout much of our lives. We encourage employees to view their health as an
important, lifelong asset that they have the
power to enhance and protect by getting
routine preventive care and adopting
healthy behaviors.
BILL BERENSON is senior vice president of Aetna’s Small and
Middle Market Business for the North Central Region. Reach him
at (312) 928-3323 or [email protected].