January 1, 2025 • 22 mins
Explore the transformative power of employee wellness programs with Greg Powell and me, as we uncover why 83% of employees are ready to leave workplaces that neglect their well-being. Discover the key to unlocking superior productivity and retention by harnessing holistic wellness initiatives that address mental, physical, and emotional health. Drawing on Livia Martini's from Wellhub compelling insights, we examine how the corporate landscape is evolving in response to stress, inflation, and AI-related anxieties. Greg provides invaluable HR perspectives on bridging the gap between C-suite executives and employee mental health priorities, highlighting leadership's crucial role in fostering supportive environments.
Smaller organizations aren't left behind—we tackle the unique hurdles they face in offering comprehensive wellness programs. With the post-COVID-19 shift in workplace expectations, learn how smaller companies can enhance employee engagement through creative use of community resources. We delve into the generational shifts reshaping workplace norms and the vital importance of well-communicated benefits. Finally, we wrap up with strategies for maximizing leadership potential, inspired by my book "Building Your Leadership Toolbox," and invite listeners to engage with our community for continued growth. Join us in navigating the challenges and opportunities in building a thriving workplace centered around employee wellness.
Presented by John Wandolowski and Greg Powell
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome everyone to our podcast on success secrets
and stories.
I'm your host, john Wanoloski,and I'm here with my co-host and
friend, greg Powell.
Greg, hey everybody, yeah, sotoday we're going to talk about
in this podcast exploringwellness programs, and people
(00:37):
have to understand that wellnessprograms is really a
competitive advantage and it's areal tool in terms of retaining
top talent.
The companies see that you'reengaged and this is one of the
things that really makes adifference on whether your
organization is strictly dealingwith the numbers or if you're
(00:57):
looking at the people.
And I really wanted to try totake advantage of talking about
this as a specific subject onhow you really can move the
needle.
These are programs that peoplearen't giving a lot of thought
to, but the progressivecompanies, the companies that
are really succeeding,understand that this is part of
(01:18):
engagement.
This is engagement from thecompany side and trying to help
the individual and if it's doneright, it's dynamic.
So I found this interestingarticle.
It is from WellHub and it's byLivia Martinen and it's from
November 15th of 2024.
(01:39):
And Livia talked about theworkforce has a new top priority
, why well-being is key for thebottom line.
She goes on to say in recent HRkind of leadership notices, the
competition for top talent isnot subsiding and the figures
(01:59):
are smashing expectations,showing robust growth in the
economy.
Smashing expectations, showingrobust growth in the economy.
But now the company has newstudies showing that it is
critical in things in terms ofthe organization and if it wants
to compete and excel, it has tobuild wellness programs to
deliver real results.
The other example she gives isthe state of work-life wellness
(02:23):
in 2025.
And in that study it is packedwith new findings that make it
very clear it shows that today'sworkforce is seeking
comprehensive suites ofsolutions that address their
needs and their aspirations.
However, many organizations arenot doing well as they think.
(02:56):
Inflation, stress and the fearsof what AI is going to do to any
of our working environments areaffecting the employees and,
clearly, their wellness.
To understand what makes awellness program successful in
driving productivity, attractingnew employees, retaining
existing employees, issatisfaction.
To understand how those thingsaffect the workforce is really
the key.
(03:16):
She works for a company calledWellHub and they survey over
5,000 full-time employees with arange of different industries
in North and South America andeven Europe.
The Wellness Hub people havediscovered that work stress has
become the leading cause ofdecreased mental wellness, while
(03:40):
inflation and worries aboutbeing replaced by AI may be
getting to the attention of thepublic sphere.
For today's employees, thestress of the daily grind has
risen to the top, and theyounger they are, the more
likely to say that, suggestingthat this problem will only grow
with members from the Gen Z.
(04:01):
As they're starting to enterthe workforce, that baggage kind
of follows them along.
So from a perspective ofunderstanding these kind of
effects, greg, with your HRexperience, maybe you can expand
a little bit about the nextpart in the article.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Thanks, john.
So I think about the C-suiteright, the top of the house, the
famous CEO, cfo, chiefmarketing officer, whatever.
Oftentimes they seem to be outof touch with mental health
issues and needs, and you mightthink, well, how can that be?
They run these companies.
How can they be out of tune?
Well, they don't really realizewhat's going on inside their
inner ranks.
(04:40):
And you have to piece throughsome research to find that 94%
of CEOs believe theirorganizations are doing enough
to support mental health in theworkplace and only two thirds of
workers agree.
Now there's a little bit of adisconnect there.
We're going to talk a littlebit more about why that happens.
But poor employee physicalhealth is a real issue.
Employees aren't exactlythriving in terms of physical
(05:02):
health either.
So about 54%, about half,consider themselves to be in
good shape.
That's a self-diagnosis there.
And even fewer say they'reeating well.
And all these problems canexacerbate each other, creating
a negative well-being cycle howyou feel about yourself Trying
to get through each day.
People being trapped in aroutine is probably poor of
habits and it's really hurtingtheir health.
(05:23):
But guess what?
There is some good news.
Some organizations are takingon wellness programs that work
and they're seeing excellentresults.
And in companies like these,programs are much more likely to
save that employee and havethat employee stay engaged and
with the organization.
Let's talk a little bit aboutholistic wellness.
(05:43):
Right, holistic wellness is key.
A crucial part of the solutionis to understand that your team
members may have different ideasabout what constitutes a
wellbeing program.
Right, there's some folkloreout there.
There's some rumors, some badinformation out there.
Some employers believe thathaving health insurance and
access to mental healthresources is probably all you
(06:04):
need.
But guess what?
Today's employees have a deeper, more nuanced vision of what
wellness really is.
They see the whole personalbeing involved.
They feel engagement, but theyalso feel enjoyment, they feel
pressure, they feel growth Imean, they got the family issues
, education.
What's the success?
So much going on forindividuals to think about today
(06:25):
.
And the more an organizationdoes to provide a wide variety
of resources to help their teammembers, the better they're
going to be as far as being ableto overcome these issues.
So let's talk about return oninvestment in wellness.
Yes, this is not just a pie inthe sky fun thing to do.
There is actually return oninvestment in providing wellness
(06:45):
programs.
This also makes employees morelikely to choose to work for an
organization as far as thatattraction piece, and in a study
that was shown, 83% ofemployees said they'd consider
leaving their current employeeif they didn't take a stronger
focus on well-being.
Right now, more than half saytheir employees are kind of
failing, they're falling short,meaning the majority are ready
(07:07):
to pick up and go somewhere else.
That they think is handlingwellness the way it should be.
It's one of the reasons whycompanies have found out when
they enact these programs thatthe track of investment stays
very positive.
So we have a CEO, cesarCarvalho.
He explained in Fortune thatmore than half, 56%.
(07:27):
So they get returns of morethan 100%, meaning they're
getting at least double theirinvestment.
So two for one, you can't beatthis.
You put $100 into wellness, youget $200 return.
That's pretty good, right.
And in looking at a map tostrategize the wellness
opportunity, hr teams shouldface this unavoidable truth
(07:49):
Helping the workforce reducesstress, improves overall
wellness.
It's essential.
Wellbeing is no longer a perk,it's a must have and, as people
leaders have said in the past,you can do so much
transformation with a goodwellness program.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
John you can do so much transformation with a good
wellness program.
John, and you know that thisarticle kind of like really
resonated with me in terms ofhow retention is really the key.
And I found an older articleand it's from 2010 and was done
by stephen miller and he's aonline manager and editor at
(08:24):
SHRM Magazine and he did thisarticle in January of 2010.
But it was so much on the pointthat I think the heading is
probably the most importantWellness programs as an employee
retention tool.
Employees say that they workharder and perform better and
(08:45):
miss fewer days at work.
Now, in light of the articlethat Livia had done and what
Stephen is talking about, it's acommonality that employee
retention is the key.
Retention is the key andfinding organizations and like
(09:10):
insurance policy programs andways of trying to bring in
wellness whether it be mentalhealth, physical health If
you're showing that you'reactually doing the effort and
you have those things on yourlist.
It's interesting when newemployees are looking at coming
for a company.
They're asking those kind ofquestions.
You can tell them that it's thehealthcare organization or you
can actually talk about thebenefits and give a little bit
(09:32):
more context to it and how thatdrives a new employee and how
that also affects an existingemployee is just as dramatic.
What was important is wellnessprograms are clearly a win-win
opportunity, especially in thetimes where not only the
employer, it's the employeesthat are both looking at budgets
(09:55):
.
The employer is looking forretaining people, energizing
people and reducing the numberof sick days.
The employee is looking for abetter health and work life.
Some of the things that areinteresting is when you look at
how the survey is actuallyapplied.
47% of the workers actuallyparticipate and that's one of
(10:18):
the challenges of getting peopleto actually go and use these
programs.
But when you see those peoplewho are actually putting the
time and the effort and usingthe programs, they're reducing
health care costs by 30%.
Their chances of living longerincrease 30%, 40% and there's
(10:39):
incentives that sometimes thehealth care companies are doing
or the company itself is doingin terms of incentive to look at
some of these programs,especially when you have a lot
of people that are having issuesand maybe you can affect that
end result that they're toostationary and they're in the
office all the time.
They have to get out, they haveto be active, they have to get
(11:01):
some steps in that part ofparticipating it and enticing
people to get with thoseprograms is really the key.
But I think the other articleand this article both talks
about stress and if the wellnessprograms are working, you are
doing probably one of the besteffects of trying to reduce
(11:23):
stress.
You're introducing healthyeating, healthy exercise that
the whole kind of mindsetchanges.
Instead of being that victim ofdealing with the stress, you
have a little bit of controlthat you can actually manage.
And what's interesting is thatworkers consider fitness
(11:45):
programs or wellness programs asone of the most important
things they're picking out oftoday's shopping market no
(12:06):
longer part of what you wouldwant to pay money for because,
like anything else, as time hasgone on, there's more
participation from the employeethat used to be covered by the
company.
You have to be careful in whatyou're picking and what's
important.
Sometimes these wellnessprograms are offered at no cost
to the employee to encourageparticipation.
I think the interesting elementof it is health care selection,
(12:27):
greg.
Maybe you can talk about that alittle bit.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Thanks, john.
So there are definitely worriesabout changing health plans,
and that's employees as well asemployers, and as workers seek
ways to improve their health,they're concerned about
potential changes in theircurrent programs.
Let's be honest here.
It's still a business.
Companies are trying tominimize their costs, insurance
companies are trying to maximizetheir profits.
Somewhere in the middle there'san employee saying, hey, I need
(12:52):
health care, I need wellnessprograms, what can you do for me
?
And so the worries arelegitimate.
But I think there's a lot moreeffort in trying to get a good
balance so that employers canfind quality wellness programs.
Employees can participate inthem.
So let's talk again about thereturn on investment.
I think we can quantify that alittle bit.
(13:14):
There have been some rigorousstudies conducted that indicate
a very positive return onemployee-sponsored wellness
programs.
Right, that's good, that's agood thing, and this is a report
that's still dated February2010,.
But I think it still holds uptoday.
The evidence suggests that largeemployers adopting wellness
programs see substantialpositive returns even within the
first few years of adoption.
(13:34):
So it doesn't take five yearsor 10 years to show a return.
It's fairly quickly, andthere's some dollars that we can
share with you.
Medical costs fell about $3.27for every dollar spent on
wellness programs and absenteeday costs fell about just under
$3 for every dollar spent and,among other findings and
(13:55):
Citibank in particular reportedan estimate of saving $4.50 in
medical expenditures per dollarspent on the program.
Again, that ratio of what youspend and what you get back is
very positive as far as returnon investment and, aside from
savings on healthcare, wellnessprograms are more likely to see
lower replacement costs forabsent workers as well.
So we're still talking awin-win you invest the money on
(14:18):
wellness, you get it backmultiple folds, john.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
So Greg and I have both worked for different
organizations and I've beenasked to work with smaller
organizations and trying to helpin terms of consulting for
equipment or facility issues andwhat's really, I don't know,
disappointing or not surprising.
Smaller organizations don'thave an HR department and
(14:48):
sometimes there's nothing morethan a benefit day where
different vendors come in, theyset up a table and they have a
shopping cart kind of mentalityof what do you offer?
And I can tell you right nowthat those conversations and
those times are like gold interms of the employees.
They have to have the timethey're talking to their spouses
(15:11):
on the phone on what can we do?
What can we afford, what do weneed?
What does your benefit coverversus what they're talking
about?
And how does that benefit work?
If your organization's small andyou're only trying to get this
fit into where I saw it doneduring only lunchtime and he
(15:33):
couldn't talk to them any longerthan the hour period of time.
That's all they were allowed totalk to him, you're not really
doing your employees any service.
You're just not.
Let's take another exampleYou're working for a smaller
organization and maybe they havean HR department, but when
you're asking for services thataren't in a normal package, that
(15:55):
aren't directly related to anoffice visit or to a hospital.
What if you're asking formental health or child care or
something else that's not on thestandard program?
You have to be able tounderstand it.
Your job as a leader is to stepup and ask what does the
insurance company also offer?
(16:17):
Can I talk to them?
Can you talk to them from theHR side of it?
What can we do to expand andhelp these people?
And then there's the other sideof it.
If you're in leadership andyou're getting roadblocks and
maybe you know, greg, you cantalk about this you help them
understand that there might beresources in churches or
(16:38):
communities.
Why don't you expand a littlebit about?
Speaker 1 (16:42):
that are supporting your organization, but most of
our organizations that have,whether plants or offices, are
in communities, and communitiesoffer different programs
churches, as John had mentioned,maybe schools but just do a
little detective work to seewhat might be out there that you
(17:02):
can participate in and haveyour employees participate in as
well.
Years ago and I'm probablybeing kind here the wellness
topic was never discussed.
It just wasn't.
And then something happened.
It's called COVID and it shineda light on mental wellness and
physical wellness and the needfor improved and
well-communicated benefits.
To address specific benefits,Not your medical, dental, life
(17:25):
insurance, but things much moreimportant, much more pertinent,
and the topic and opportunityjust couldn't be ignored any
longer, as employees actuallyspoke up.
That's what they were lookingfor.
They spoke up with their voiceas well as with their desire to
stay or leave the organization.
Mental wellness became a realissue for folks during COVID,
for all members of the family,Whether you had one working
spouse or two, and the issuesthat came up with working inside
(17:47):
the home or outside, kids goingto school or not being in a
classroom, and how they werefeeling about things and trying
to be socially still connected.
Physical wellness has become anexpectation by both employees
and employers.
Because you spend so much timein the office, right, you spend
a lot of your energy and effort.
So if you want to be in yourtip-top shape, probably makes
sense to see if they've got afitness center.
(18:09):
You want to work out?
Do it there, right.
Make it convenient for theemployee.
Have it there.
Offer classes my last employerPilates classes bootcamp after
work offered right there forconvenience for folks, right on
site.
Again, you would be surprisedhow often they were used, how
often people participated andthey look forward to it.
(18:29):
They gave us a challenge to domore.
But one of the biggest thingsregarding wellness and it's
alluded to this a minute ago isthe demographics in the
workplace.
So John and I come from a groupthat you might've heard of
called the baby boomers, andwhen we were coming up, we were
pervasive in the workplace.
Right, it was a lot of babyboomers, no-transcript.
(19:14):
Hey, in addition to this, bonusprograms and that, what other
kind of benefits do you havethat aren't just your classic
benefits?
What other wellness kind ofprograms mental and physical
wellness programs do you offer?
And so my last organization.
We got a lot of experience withit.
It was interesting to me,especially during COVID, that
how employees really spoke upand participate.
(19:36):
So we had some programs rightin place.
We had more programs.
We started doing morecommunication John kind of
mentioned lunchtime seminars butwe got out in front of folks
and got people to be connectedemployees connected to what we
had to offer and it was great.
It was fantastic.
And even the folks that didn'tparticipate got people to be
connected employees connected towhat we had to offer and it was
great.
It was fantastic.
And even the folks that didn'tparticipate were happy to be
working for companies thatoffered it.
So this is who is in placetoday.
(20:01):
It's not the 60, 70-year-oldperson that's your CEO or CFO
anymore.
They're probably more like 30or 40 years old and they have a
different take.
We, John and I, had to do thesethings.
We had to tough it out and workwhen you're sick and not even
say the word mental illness.
Those days are thankfully, longgone, John.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
So we spent time trying to give you some
perspectives of how importantwellness programs are, but we
alluded to probably the onereason why it is paramount in
2024.
Covid changed the game and ithas affected generations and
it's going to take a long timeto try to counter that.
And we have to be prepared forthe next COVID, because it's
(20:47):
going to happen.
And having the mentality andthe understanding of what we've
learned through this experienceand how do we gain and get ahead
of it for the next experienceis really the essence of being
engaged in wellness.
So this is really a keycomponent of leadership.
(21:08):
It's sometimes and often isn'tin your direct responsibility,
but that does not give you anexcuse to say that it's somebody
else's fault.
If it's an important elementwithin your organization and
you're in leadership, you needto bring it up because that
voice is necessary.
(21:28):
So that kind of capstones,everything you're trying to get
across for this podcast, if youlike what you've heard, yeah, my
book, building your leadershiptoolbox is available on amazon.
My podcast, our podcast isavailable on apple and google
(21:48):
and spot, spotify and a lot ofother formats like the one
you're listening to.
Dr Durst is booked in his MBRprogram, which is the basis of
our program, is available onsuccessgrowthacademycom, and if
you'd like to get a hold of us,our website is wwwauthorjawcom,
(22:09):
and the music is brought to youby my grandson.
So we want to hear from you.
Drop us a line, tell us whatyou think, how we can make this
program better for you and maybeaddress issues that you think
need to be discussed.
Thanks Greg, thanks John.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
As always, next time.
Welcome everyone to our podcast on success secrets
and stories.
I'm your host, john Wanoloski,and I'm here with my co-host and
friend, greg Powell.
Greg, hey everybody, yeah, sotoday we're going to talk about
in this podcast exploringwellness programs, and people
(00:37):
have to understand that wellnessprograms is really a
competitive advantage and it's areal tool in terms of retaining
top talent.
The companies see that you'reengaged and this is one of the
things that really makes adifference on whether your
organization is strictly dealingwith the numbers or if you're
(00:57):
looking at the people.
And I really wanted to try totake advantage of talking about
this as a specific subject onhow you really can move the
needle.
These are programs that peoplearen't giving a lot of thought
to, but the progressivecompanies, the companies that
are really succeeding,understand that this is part of
(01:18):
engagement.
This is engagement from thecompany side and trying to help
the individual and if it's doneright, it's dynamic.
So I found this interestingarticle.
It is from WellHub and it's byLivia Martinen and it's from
November 15th of 2024.
(01:39):
And Livia talked about theworkforce has a new top priority
, why well-being is key for thebottom line.
She goes on to say in recent HRkind of leadership notices, the
competition for top talent isnot subsiding and the figures
(01:59):
are smashing expectations,showing robust growth in the
economy.
Smashing expectations, showingrobust growth in the economy.
But now the company has newstudies showing that it is
critical in things in terms ofthe organization and if it wants
to compete and excel, it has tobuild wellness programs to
deliver real results.
The other example she gives isthe state of work-life wellness
(02:23):
in 2025.
And in that study it is packedwith new findings that make it
very clear it shows that today'sworkforce is seeking
comprehensive suites ofsolutions that address their
needs and their aspirations.
However, many organizations arenot doing well as they think.
(02:56):
Inflation, stress and the fearsof what AI is going to do to any
of our working environments areaffecting the employees and,
clearly, their wellness.
To understand what makes awellness program successful in
driving productivity, attractingnew employees, retaining
existing employees, issatisfaction.
To understand how those thingsaffect the workforce is really
the key.
(03:16):
She works for a company calledWellHub and they survey over
5,000 full-time employees with arange of different industries
in North and South America andeven Europe.
The Wellness Hub people havediscovered that work stress has
become the leading cause ofdecreased mental wellness, while
(03:40):
inflation and worries aboutbeing replaced by AI may be
getting to the attention of thepublic sphere.
For today's employees, thestress of the daily grind has
risen to the top, and theyounger they are, the more
likely to say that, suggestingthat this problem will only grow
with members from the Gen Z.
(04:01):
As they're starting to enterthe workforce, that baggage kind
of follows them along.
So from a perspective ofunderstanding these kind of
effects, greg, with your HRexperience, maybe you can expand
a little bit about the nextpart in the article.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Thanks, john.
So I think about the C-suiteright, the top of the house, the
famous CEO, cfo, chiefmarketing officer, whatever.
Oftentimes they seem to be outof touch with mental health
issues and needs, and you mightthink, well, how can that be?
They run these companies.
How can they be out of tune?
Well, they don't really realizewhat's going on inside their
inner ranks.
(04:40):
And you have to piece throughsome research to find that 94%
of CEOs believe theirorganizations are doing enough
to support mental health in theworkplace and only two thirds of
workers agree.
Now there's a little bit of adisconnect there.
We're going to talk a littlebit more about why that happens.
But poor employee physicalhealth is a real issue.
Employees aren't exactlythriving in terms of physical
(05:02):
health either.
So about 54%, about half,consider themselves to be in
good shape.
That's a self-diagnosis there.
And even fewer say they'reeating well.
And all these problems canexacerbate each other, creating
a negative well-being cycle howyou feel about yourself Trying
to get through each day.
People being trapped in aroutine is probably poor of
habits and it's really hurtingtheir health.
(05:23):
But guess what?
There is some good news.
Some organizations are takingon wellness programs that work
and they're seeing excellentresults.
And in companies like these,programs are much more likely to
save that employee and havethat employee stay engaged and
with the organization.
Let's talk a little bit aboutholistic wellness.
(05:43):
Right, holistic wellness is key.
A crucial part of the solutionis to understand that your team
members may have different ideasabout what constitutes a
wellbeing program.
Right, there's some folkloreout there.
There's some rumors, some badinformation out there.
Some employers believe thathaving health insurance and
access to mental healthresources is probably all you
(06:04):
need.
But guess what?
Today's employees have a deeper, more nuanced vision of what
wellness really is.
They see the whole personalbeing involved.
They feel engagement, but theyalso feel enjoyment, they feel
pressure, they feel growth Imean, they got the family issues
, education.
What's the success?
So much going on forindividuals to think about today
(06:25):
.
And the more an organizationdoes to provide a wide variety
of resources to help their teammembers, the better they're
going to be as far as being ableto overcome these issues.
So let's talk about return oninvestment in wellness.
Yes, this is not just a pie inthe sky fun thing to do.
There is actually return oninvestment in providing wellness
(06:45):
programs.
This also makes employees morelikely to choose to work for an
organization as far as thatattraction piece, and in a study
that was shown, 83% ofemployees said they'd consider
leaving their current employeeif they didn't take a stronger
focus on well-being.
Right now, more than half saytheir employees are kind of
failing, they're falling short,meaning the majority are ready
(07:07):
to pick up and go somewhere else.
That they think is handlingwellness the way it should be.
It's one of the reasons whycompanies have found out when
they enact these programs thatthe track of investment stays
very positive.
So we have a CEO, cesarCarvalho.
He explained in Fortune thatmore than half, 56%.
(07:27):
So they get returns of morethan 100%, meaning they're
getting at least double theirinvestment.
So two for one, you can't beatthis.
You put $100 into wellness, youget $200 return.
That's pretty good, right.
And in looking at a map tostrategize the wellness
opportunity, hr teams shouldface this unavoidable truth
(07:49):
Helping the workforce reducesstress, improves overall
wellness.
It's essential.
Wellbeing is no longer a perk,it's a must have and, as people
leaders have said in the past,you can do so much
transformation with a goodwellness program.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
John you can do so much transformation with a good
wellness program.
John, and you know that thisarticle kind of like really
resonated with me in terms ofhow retention is really the key.
And I found an older articleand it's from 2010 and was done
by stephen miller and he's aonline manager and editor at
(08:24):
SHRM Magazine and he did thisarticle in January of 2010.
But it was so much on the pointthat I think the heading is
probably the most importantWellness programs as an employee
retention tool.
Employees say that they workharder and perform better and
(08:45):
miss fewer days at work.
Now, in light of the articlethat Livia had done and what
Stephen is talking about, it's acommonality that employee
retention is the key.
Retention is the key andfinding organizations and like
(09:10):
insurance policy programs andways of trying to bring in
wellness whether it be mentalhealth, physical health If
you're showing that you'reactually doing the effort and
you have those things on yourlist.
It's interesting when newemployees are looking at coming
for a company.
They're asking those kind ofquestions.
You can tell them that it's thehealthcare organization or you
can actually talk about thebenefits and give a little bit
(09:32):
more context to it and how thatdrives a new employee and how
that also affects an existingemployee is just as dramatic.
What was important is wellnessprograms are clearly a win-win
opportunity, especially in thetimes where not only the
employer, it's the employeesthat are both looking at budgets
(09:55):
.
The employer is looking forretaining people, energizing
people and reducing the numberof sick days.
The employee is looking for abetter health and work life.
Some of the things that areinteresting is when you look at
how the survey is actuallyapplied.
47% of the workers actuallyparticipate and that's one of
(10:18):
the challenges of getting peopleto actually go and use these
programs.
But when you see those peoplewho are actually putting the
time and the effort and usingthe programs, they're reducing
health care costs by 30%.
Their chances of living longerincrease 30%, 40% and there's
(10:39):
incentives that sometimes thehealth care companies are doing
or the company itself is doingin terms of incentive to look at
some of these programs,especially when you have a lot
of people that are having issuesand maybe you can affect that
end result that they're toostationary and they're in the
office all the time.
They have to get out, they haveto be active, they have to get
(11:01):
some steps in that part ofparticipating it and enticing
people to get with thoseprograms is really the key.
But I think the other articleand this article both talks
about stress and if the wellnessprograms are working, you are
doing probably one of the besteffects of trying to reduce
(11:23):
stress.
You're introducing healthyeating, healthy exercise that
the whole kind of mindsetchanges.
Instead of being that victim ofdealing with the stress, you
have a little bit of controlthat you can actually manage.
And what's interesting is thatworkers consider fitness
(11:45):
programs or wellness programs asone of the most important
things they're picking out oftoday's shopping market no
(12:06):
longer part of what you wouldwant to pay money for because,
like anything else, as time hasgone on, there's more
participation from the employeethat used to be covered by the
company.
You have to be careful in whatyou're picking and what's
important.
Sometimes these wellnessprograms are offered at no cost
to the employee to encourageparticipation.
I think the interesting elementof it is health care selection,
(12:27):
greg.
Maybe you can talk about that alittle bit.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Thanks, john.
So there are definitely worriesabout changing health plans,
and that's employees as well asemployers, and as workers seek
ways to improve their health,they're concerned about
potential changes in theircurrent programs.
Let's be honest here.
It's still a business.
Companies are trying tominimize their costs, insurance
companies are trying to maximizetheir profits.
Somewhere in the middle there'san employee saying, hey, I need
(12:52):
health care, I need wellnessprograms, what can you do for me
?
And so the worries arelegitimate.
But I think there's a lot moreeffort in trying to get a good
balance so that employers canfind quality wellness programs.
Employees can participate inthem.
So let's talk again about thereturn on investment.
I think we can quantify that alittle bit.
(13:14):
There have been some rigorousstudies conducted that indicate
a very positive return onemployee-sponsored wellness
programs.
Right, that's good, that's agood thing, and this is a report
that's still dated February2010,.
But I think it still holds uptoday.
The evidence suggests that largeemployers adopting wellness
programs see substantialpositive returns even within the
first few years of adoption.
(13:34):
So it doesn't take five yearsor 10 years to show a return.
It's fairly quickly, andthere's some dollars that we can
share with you.
Medical costs fell about $3.27for every dollar spent on
wellness programs and absenteeday costs fell about just under
$3 for every dollar spent and,among other findings and
(13:55):
Citibank in particular reportedan estimate of saving $4.50 in
medical expenditures per dollarspent on the program.
Again, that ratio of what youspend and what you get back is
very positive as far as returnon investment and, aside from
savings on healthcare, wellnessprograms are more likely to see
lower replacement costs forabsent workers as well.
So we're still talking awin-win you invest the money on
(14:18):
wellness, you get it backmultiple folds, john.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
So Greg and I have both worked for different
organizations and I've beenasked to work with smaller
organizations and trying to helpin terms of consulting for
equipment or facility issues andwhat's really, I don't know,
disappointing or not surprising.
Smaller organizations don'thave an HR department and
(14:48):
sometimes there's nothing morethan a benefit day where
different vendors come in, theyset up a table and they have a
shopping cart kind of mentalityof what do you offer?
And I can tell you right nowthat those conversations and
those times are like gold interms of the employees.
They have to have the timethey're talking to their spouses
(15:11):
on the phone on what can we do?
What can we afford, what do weneed?
What does your benefit coverversus what they're talking
about?
And how does that benefit work?
If your organization's small andyou're only trying to get this
fit into where I saw it doneduring only lunchtime and he
(15:33):
couldn't talk to them any longerthan the hour period of time.
That's all they were allowed totalk to him, you're not really
doing your employees any service.
You're just not.
Let's take another exampleYou're working for a smaller
organization and maybe they havean HR department, but when
you're asking for services thataren't in a normal package, that
(15:55):
aren't directly related to anoffice visit or to a hospital.
What if you're asking formental health or child care or
something else that's not on thestandard program?
You have to be able tounderstand it.
Your job as a leader is to stepup and ask what does the
insurance company also offer?
(16:17):
Can I talk to them?
Can you talk to them from theHR side of it?
What can we do to expand andhelp these people?
And then there's the other sideof it.
If you're in leadership andyou're getting roadblocks and
maybe you know, greg, you cantalk about this you help them
understand that there might beresources in churches or
(16:38):
communities.
Why don't you expand a littlebit about?
Speaker 1 (16:42):
that are supporting your organization, but most of
our organizations that have,whether plants or offices, are
in communities, and communitiesoffer different programs
churches, as John had mentioned,maybe schools but just do a
little detective work to seewhat might be out there that you
(17:02):
can participate in and haveyour employees participate in as
well.
Years ago and I'm probablybeing kind here the wellness
topic was never discussed.
It just wasn't.
And then something happened.
It's called COVID and it shineda light on mental wellness and
physical wellness and the needfor improved and
well-communicated benefits.
To address specific benefits,Not your medical, dental, life
(17:25):
insurance, but things much moreimportant, much more pertinent,
and the topic and opportunityjust couldn't be ignored any
longer, as employees actuallyspoke up.
That's what they were lookingfor.
They spoke up with their voiceas well as with their desire to
stay or leave the organization.
Mental wellness became a realissue for folks during COVID,
for all members of the family,Whether you had one working
spouse or two, and the issuesthat came up with working inside
(17:47):
the home or outside, kids goingto school or not being in a
classroom, and how they werefeeling about things and trying
to be socially still connected.
Physical wellness has become anexpectation by both employees
and employers.
Because you spend so much timein the office, right, you spend
a lot of your energy and effort.
So if you want to be in yourtip-top shape, probably makes
sense to see if they've got afitness center.
(18:09):
You want to work out?
Do it there, right.
Make it convenient for theemployee.
Have it there.
Offer classes my last employerPilates classes bootcamp after
work offered right there forconvenience for folks, right on
site.
Again, you would be surprisedhow often they were used, how
often people participated andthey look forward to it.
(18:29):
They gave us a challenge to domore.
But one of the biggest thingsregarding wellness and it's
alluded to this a minute ago isthe demographics in the
workplace.
So John and I come from a groupthat you might've heard of
called the baby boomers, andwhen we were coming up, we were
pervasive in the workplace.
Right, it was a lot of babyboomers, no-transcript.
(19:14):
Hey, in addition to this, bonusprograms and that, what other
kind of benefits do you havethat aren't just your classic
benefits?
What other wellness kind ofprograms mental and physical
wellness programs do you offer?
And so my last organization.
We got a lot of experience withit.
It was interesting to me,especially during COVID, that
how employees really spoke upand participate.
(19:36):
So we had some programs rightin place.
We had more programs.
We started doing morecommunication John kind of
mentioned lunchtime seminars butwe got out in front of folks
and got people to be connectedemployees connected to what we
had to offer and it was great.
It was fantastic.
And even the folks that didn'tparticipate got people to be
connected employees connected towhat we had to offer and it was
great.
It was fantastic.
And even the folks that didn'tparticipate were happy to be
working for companies thatoffered it.
So this is who is in placetoday.
(20:01):
It's not the 60, 70-year-oldperson that's your CEO or CFO
anymore.
They're probably more like 30or 40 years old and they have a
different take.
We, John and I, had to do thesethings.
We had to tough it out and workwhen you're sick and not even
say the word mental illness.
Those days are thankfully, longgone, John.
Speaker 2 (20:23):
So we spent time trying to give you some
perspectives of how importantwellness programs are, but we
alluded to probably the onereason why it is paramount in
2024.
Covid changed the game and ithas affected generations and
it's going to take a long timeto try to counter that.
And we have to be prepared forthe next COVID, because it's
(20:47):
going to happen.
And having the mentality andthe understanding of what we've
learned through this experienceand how do we gain and get ahead
of it for the next experienceis really the essence of being
engaged in wellness.
So this is really a keycomponent of leadership.
(21:08):
It's sometimes and often isn'tin your direct responsibility,
but that does not give you anexcuse to say that it's somebody
else's fault.
If it's an important elementwithin your organization and
you're in leadership, you needto bring it up because that
voice is necessary.
(21:28):
So that kind of capstones,everything you're trying to get
across for this podcast, if youlike what you've heard, yeah, my
book, building your leadershiptoolbox is available on amazon.
My podcast, our podcast isavailable on apple and google
(21:48):
and spot, spotify and a lot ofother formats like the one
you're listening to.
Dr Durst is booked in his MBRprogram, which is the basis of
our program, is available onsuccessgrowthacademycom, and if
you'd like to get a hold of us,our website is wwwauthorjawcom,
(22:09):
and the music is brought to youby my grandson.
So we want to hear from you.
Drop us a line, tell us whatyou think, how we can make this
program better for you and maybeaddress issues that you think
need to be discussed.
Thanks Greg, thanks John.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
As always, next time.
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