I walked into the office to talk to them about corporate wellness.  Shari,  at the front desk had a gravelly voice and those lines at her mouth that told me that she was a heavy smoker.  There was a bowl of candy on her desk for visitors.

I looked around for a water cooler and there was nothing to be found.  I peered down the hallway and spotted a Coca Cola machine and a vending machine that held chips, candies and Ho ho’s.

The interior office I was taken to was without windows and had this great giant table with lots of artificial light and chairs.  The chairs were big and cushy and comfortable.   As I was getting my presentation ready, the president, vice-president and head of Human Resources came in and introduced themselves.  Not all were overweight.  They looked exhausted and you could tell by their faces that they were under a lot of stress.

I handed them each a portfolio and started in on my presentation…

• I tell them about the problem
•  the return on investment they can expect
• what we will do for them
• how their business will look when they have worked with my Health Coaches for a few months!

Their problem was not apparent to them because that is the culture of their corporation.  When they look back in 6 months they will see the same things that I see, but for now, the best I could do was show the statistics.

If you can get past all the #’s and the return on investment (which is absolutely amazing), and see the culture of wellness we establish, then it is like night and day.

In 6 months…I will walk in and be greeted by a person with a bright complexion, light eyes and full of energy.  There will be clean water available to everyone who works there as well as the visitors who come in.

We will be meeting in the front office with windows and natural light and apples in a bowl at the middle of the table.  The Human Resources director and her assistant will be greeting me because the President and Vice President have delegated their authority to fully capable employees with health and clarity of thought.

Long gone are the vending machines, now replaced with a refrigerator to hold foods that the employees bring from home.  Shari says that they all take turns, twice a week, bringing in healthy new recipes to share.

This corporation has 63 employees involved in our program:

• they will likely lose a total of 787.5 pounds.
•  insurance premiums for each employee may be down by as much as $1850.00 annually because they no longer have high risk conditions.
• 65% were overweight and now they are on their way to healthy weights, without diets
• the employees get along better
• the employees are more loyal
• the corporation is saving between 200-600% on health care costs (workers comp, productivity, insurance, sick leave, disability, etc.)
• productivity has increased
• customers are happier because they are being treated better
• the corporation has become a model of wellness and has enjoyed increased community respect
• the employees are happier, brighter and clearer
• the employers are out creating new business because they are energetic, well and have a strong team backing them up

This company has 80% participation in an exercise program, which will save in costs by approximately $500.00 per employee or $25,200.00.

So…what does it cost for corporate wellness.  There is no cost.   Statistics show

“The bottom line: Every dollar invested in the intervention yielded $6 in health care savings.”  Harvard Business Review

There is nothing but benefits.   You literally can not lose money with a corporate wellness program.

• You change the culture of the business.
• You change the lives of the families of employees.
• You make an impact on your clients and your community.
• The changes that are made within a corporation to establish a wellness culture will make a difference in the lives of generations to come.

So…why don’t all corporations have a wellness program?

~Cathy

(402) 551-2225

Email Cathy