The impact of employee wellness clinics on bottom line performance

The impact of employee wellness clinics on bottom line performance July 30, 2018

Employers that offer wellness options to their employees may see happier and healthier employers as well as a healthier bottom line for the organization as a whole. Many employers who provide the services of on-site clinics to their employees augment those services with health management programs. The convenient access of those benefits entices employees to take advantage of them and, as a result, to become healthier and more productive.

A number of research studies and surveys point to the return on investment (ROI) employers realize when they provide employee wellness clinics and other health programs. In fact, a study conducted in 2013 found that “companies that have exemplary safety, health and environmental programs outperformed the S&P 500 by between 3 and 5 percent.”

Absenteeism and presenteeism are significant challenges for many organizations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in 2015 that “productivity losses linked to employee absenteeism due to illness cost employers $225.8 billion annually in the United States, or $1,685 per employee.” That figure does not include the impact of presenteeism, “losses due to employees who come to work ill or suffer from poor sleep or nutritional habits or work-induced stress.”

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports that the ROI “related to employee wellness programs typically includes the overall health care cost-savings achieved, as well as productivity increases due to a reduction in sick days taken by employees. Calculating the ROI based on the hard savings numbers provides most companies with the justification for implementing such programs.”

On-site or near-site health clinics, combined with employee wellness and health programs, can generate a significant impact on a company’s bottom line performance, through improved productivity and reduced absenteeism. On-site wellness clinics, in particular, are convenient for employees and that encourages them to sue the benefit, resulting in happier, healthier employees and a positive ROI for the employer.