The health of a person essentially comes down to two things – genetics and behavior. We are all born with a set of pre-dispositions to disease that we can't change, but we can have an impact on our behavior. Most diseases come down to various health related behaviors such as exercise, diet, and smoking, and these are what most wellness programs attempt to target. Programs that create the right environment for new health behaviors and provide support for those behaviors are the most successful. Without the right conditions and support, a workplace wellness program cannot work and will not be sustainable. Understanding the fundamentals of behavioral science and leveraging that knowledge is the foundation for creating and sustaining a workplace wellness program that can have a huge impact on the health of your workforce. As healthcare costs continue to rise, many companies are turning to workplace wellness programs as an option for decreasing premiums and creating a healthier workforce. Research has shown that effective workplace wellness programs can reduce employee sick days by 25% (Chapman, 2012) and reduce healthcare costs by $3.27 for every dollar spent (Baicker, Cutler, & Song, 2010). Merely having a wellness program is not enough to make your workforce healthier. This paper will discuss the key components that research in healthcare and behavioral science say are necessary to create a sustainable and successful workplace wellness program.
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