While employees across the country may be participating in corporate wellness programs at higher rates than ever before, employers may not be seeing a return on their investment. Employees may be participating and engaged, but if their overall health is not improving and healthcare costs are not being reduced, what should you do?
This problem has a unique but easy solution: work backwards. Identify the health outcomes and health risks that need improvement in your population, find evidence-based programs that will improve your employees’ health risks, and work with the right professionals to offer these programs to your employees.
Research shows that nutrition programs are one of the best ways to improve employee health. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Evidence Analysis Library, “In overweight or obese adults, strong evidence supports the effectiveness of multiple visits for Medical Nutrition Therapy by a nutrition professional.” Proper nutrition can lower weight, decrease waist circumference, improve fasting blood glucose and lower total cholesterol. Often, employees want to eat healthy food, or think they are eating well, but they have not been educated about proper nutrition.
While trendy well-being programs may help with participation and engagement – and are a fun and important component of a comprehensive wellness program – it’s critical to provide employees with a proper foundation in nutrition to improve overall well-being and reduce the risk of a number of preventable diseases. Offering employees one-on-one coaching sessions with a Registered Dietitian is a worthwhile investment – one that will help you realize a return on your investment.
The Wellness Workdays team is comprised of a number of highly trained Registered Dietitians. We provide a variety of nutrition and one-on-one coaching programs to our clients. To learn more about our nutrition programs and how they improve employee health, contact us.
Source: Huffington Post