Sometimes small business and startup managers ask themselves whether they can afford to invest in an employee wellness program in addition to other benefits like offering health insurance. The real question to ask is whether your company can afford not to invest in employee fitness.

Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore Employee Wellness

By looking at two common employee health concerns it becomes clear that the true cost of neglecting wellness goes beyond healthcare costs. For example, look at the impact unmanaged workplace stress and type two diabetes have.

Stress-related physical and mental health consequences are just one source of preventable expense to employers. However, it helps to look at one piece of the puzzle. Job stress costs employers in the following ways:

• Employee turnover, a 2001 study published by the University of Manchester estimates that job stress is a factor in 40% of turnover. Any human resources professional is well aware of the added expense of recruiting, screening, and training new employees. 
• Higher healthcare costs, stress is a factor in nearly every aspect of health and highly stressed workers cost 50% more healthcare costs according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
• Employee absenteeism costs, some large enterprise companies lose $3.6 million annually according to a 2002 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study.
• Unmanaged stress contributes to depression. Depressed employees took nearly 10 sick days per year due to their depression, according to a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. This impacts young workers, the study found depressed employees younger than 40 years took 3.5 more annual sick days than the typical worker over 40. 

The potential costs of stress-related conditions including healthcare costs, employee replacement, loss of good team members, sick leave and lost productivity add unnecessary expense. However, this isn’t even addressing the costs of metabolic and cardiovascular conditions associated with a sedentary lifestyle. 

According to the CDC, one in ten adults had type two diabetes in 2010, they anticipate this statistic growing to one in three adults by 2050. While in the early stages, type two diabetes is manageable it was the seventh leading cause of death in 2007 and a leading cause of blindness in people younger than 75 as well as other compilations like kidney failure.

If one-third of your employees had diabetes, imagine the impact of your company’s health insurance premiums, sick leave, and other costs. Also, imagine the cost in terms of quality of life among your team! 

Exercise is one of the top lifestyle interventions that manage both mental health risks such as unresolved stress as well as countless physical conditions including type two diabetes. Similar extends to many other preventable diseases that lifestyle interventions like exercise can prevent, mitigate or help manage.

The Fitbod Solution

Nearly any type of exercise helps with both mental health and physical health. Vigorous fitness-building activities like strength training and interval workouts offer additional metabolic benefits further promoting health, happiness, and productivity.

Most important compliance is highest when the participant enjoys the activity, consistently works out and feels they are effectively working towards their goals. Fitbod delivers AI-driven workouts tailored to the exerciser’s goals, current fitness, and available equipment (including body-weight only workouts).

Users access the app through their smartphone or tablet for an efficient, effective workout any place at any time. Social elements like workout sharing further motivate users to be their best. 

Best of all, the cost of Fitbod subscriptions for your team quickly pays for themselves in healthcare savings, sick leave, and productivity. 

Contact us today for a free demonstration of how Fitbod can enhance your employee wellness program.