MEMORANDUM

Date: Tuesday March 24, 2015

To:

Patrick Yu, Manger

From:Jamaal Bond & Errol Oduro

Subject:

WELLNESS PROGRAM REPORT

There are a number of advantages that the wellness program offers to small and
medium companies. Companies that implement the wellness program assist in the
creation of a healthy and safe workplace for employees.
REPORT PURPOSE & SCOPE
The purpose of the wellness program report is to present results of the programs
when utilised in small companies within Ontario.
DEFINITION
Wellness programs include activities such as company-sponsored exercise, weightloss competitions, educational seminars, tobacco-cessation programs and health
screenings that are designed to aid employees in achieving weight loss, better
eating habits, and to improve overall physical health.
BACKGROUND
According to Healthaffairs.org, poor health habits of many workers, growing rates of
chronic disease, and the rising cost of health benefits have created new interest in
workplace wellness programs (Health Affairs.
http://www.healthaffairs.org/healthpolicybriefs/brief.php?brief_id=93).
COMMON FEATURES & COMPONENTS
A wellness program is a common occurrence within small companies. The vast
majority of Canadian companies that employ fewer than100 individuals have
implemented programs that promote healthy living within the workplace. Here are a
number of features that a typical wellness program will include:

Mental health programs

Weight control
Hypertension education
Nutrition education
Alcohol and substance
abuse

Stress management
Smoking cessation
Disease prevention
Medical self-care
Fitness
Back care

Patrick Yu

March 24, 2015

BENEFITS

Wellness Programs focus their attention strictly around the topic of

healthy living within the workplace. Since employee performance is
greatly affected by their choices made towards personal health, there
are benefits of the wellness program that can be used to increase
efficiency and work ethic within the workplace. These benefits include
but are not limited to:

Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy employees

Reduced healthcare costs
Decreased rates of illness and injuries
Reduced employees absenteeism
Improved employee relations and morale
Increased productivity

COST OF WELLNESS PROGRAM

When initially implementing a Wellness Program within a small or

medium organization, the price will vary depending on what the
company can afford. The estimated cost to enforce this type of health
system begins around $5,000 dollars, and can reach as high as
$14,000 dollars annually. However, this chart was created to indicate
the estimated price of each service the Wellness Program offers and
the approximate cost to run and maintain each program. Here are
some standard prices for an individual per year:

Cost for Health Programs

Mental Health Programs
Weight Control
Hypertension education
Nutrition education
Alcohol and substance
abuse
Stress management
Smoking cessation
Disease privation
Medical self-care
Fitness
Back Care

Price
$597.00
$222.00
$187.00
$327.00
$200.00

$230.00
$960.00
$250.00
$196.00
$488.00
$300.00

Patrick Yu

March 24, 2015

(Successful Wellness Program.

http://www.healthylife.com/template.asp?pageID=41)

This chart shows all the employees how much money they can
potentially spend yearly in the long run if the company invested within
a wellness program. With all the background research that was
founded on these wellness programs, has the ability to allow our
employers to have full access to premium discounts, cash rewards,
gym memberships, and other incentives to participate. Also, with the
number of features implemented within the wellness program,
employees will feel empowered and motivated

Patrick Yu

March 24, 2015

to help themselves to start making good decisions that promotes a

healthy lifestyle, because employees are the most valuable assets to
the company, this presents the opportunity to experience a healthy
and productive workplace.

SUMMARY

This report presents the findings on wellness programs on small

companies within Ontario. Wellness programs include activities such as
mental health programs, weight control, hypertension education,
nutrition education, and etcetera. These programs are aimed to
encouraging employees to take preventative measures to control
illnesses and unhealthy behaviour. Annually, companies will have to
invest estimated cost of $5,000 dollars to $14,000 dollars to
implement a wellness program.On hand the other hand, this report
also presents the benefits employees can gain from wellness programs
like reduced health cost, improved relations and morale, decrease
rates of illness and injuries.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me and
Ill get back to you as soon as possible.

Patrick Yu

March 24, 2015

WORK CITIED

Workplace Wellness Programs (Updated) (Health Affairs)

http://www.healthaffairs.org/healthpolicybriefs/brief.php?brief_id=93

http://www.healthylife.com/template.asp?pageID=41

Successful Wellness Programs | American Institute for Preventive

Medicine (Successful Wellness Programs | American Institute for
Preventive Medicine)