With most companies scrambling to find ways to cut costs and avoid layoffs, many benefits and programs are facing elimination. Programs often looked at as expendable include HR and wellness since they often do not directly generate capital and can be harder to track.  A recent report conducted by Health2 Resources showed the monetary benefits of providing a real, substantive wellness program to employees.  At a time when money is short, employees want to save just as much as employers and are very eager to take advantage of these opportunities.

Among the key findings as discussed by SHRM:

• The value of incentives is up, averaging $329 in 2009 and ranging from $1 per pound for weight loss to annual premium reductions valued at more than $1,500. The most commonly used incentive is premium reductions, followed by merchandise/tokens and gift cards.

• More offer cash and gift cards to spouses and family members to keep them healthy. More than half of the companies surveyed offer health and wellness or disease management programs to spouses and a third extend the programs to other family members.

• Confidential health history/questionnaires are an important starting point for worksite wellness and disease management. Two out of three U.S. employers—large, mid-size and small—offer a health risk assessment to employees, and nearly three out of four of those offer incentives to take it. Incentives to take the questionnaire range up to $300 annually, with about 10 to 15 percent exceeding $300.

• Smoking cessation programs are the most popular health and wellness program offered. More than half of employers surveyed (53 percent) offer smoking cessation to employees, but weight management and physical activity programs are not far behind.

• Diabetes programs are the most popular disease management program offered. Among those employers that offer disease management programs, 92 percent offer diabetes programs, making them the most common disease management program offered in 2009.

• Company size matters but doesn’t dictate value of incentives. Among large employers, a bigger percentage offers programs and incentives when compared to small and mid-sized companies. But some organizations with as few as 210 employees are offering incentives valued at $1,450 per year to keep employees healthy, well above the average.

• Results count, and employers are counting. The percentage of U.S. companies measuring ROI successfully for health and wellness programs has increased sharply over the years, from 14 percent in 2007 to 73 percent in 2009. Some 83 percent of those who have measured say the programs return better than 1:1 on their investment. In growing numbers, employers are rewarding goal achievement during and after health and wellness program completion.

• Employers face challenges to program success, but challenges wane. Among employers with programs and those without, nearly every challenge—even the top challenge of motivating employees over time—has lost intensity.

Here’s a New Employer Wellness Program resource provided by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) called “Lean Works”.  If you already have a program in place, you may want to consider doing the Cost Analysis and ROI (return on investment) calculations.  If you’ve been considering the benefits of a wellness program for your organization, here’s a resource to Plan, Build, and Promote one. To see the resources now available in  ”Lean Works” just Click Here.

For another great wellness program resource Click Here for the Wellness Council of America.