People are your company’s greatest asset – no doubt about it.

Companies that keep their people safe and healthy have a competitive advantage over those that don’t.

Here is something for you to consider – Safety and Wellness are inextricably linked. To get the best business results, you’ll need to put the two of them together.

Why Safety and Wellness Are Related

The link between safety, wellness and the ROI of your overall program is productivity.

Take a look at the chart below to see the impact of poor worker health on employer costs.

(Source)

Absenteeism and presenteeism, both caused by poor worker health, account for 66% of employer costs. Typically a worker is considered “healthy” when they are not injured. The chart above is evidence to the contrary. 60% of the cost of poor health occurs on the job! This means that unhealthy employees that show up to work are costing more than workers comp and health care costs combined.

It’s time we stopped thinking about “health” only when employees are injured or incurring health care or workers compensation costs. This is a reactive, upside-down model of worker “health.” The most effective safety and health programs are proactive and recognize that employee wellness is absolutely relevant in their safety and health program.

If your program is going to get the kind of business results you’re hoping for, the focus has to be on prevention – not treatment. That means employee wellness, not just a current lack of an injury or illness requiring time away from work.

Wellness ROI

Comprehensive strategies focused on prevention are necessary to combat these high costs. A results-based wellness program is an essential element of any comprehensive prevention strategy.

What is the ROI of such a strategy?

According to research by Dr. Steven Aldana, the ROI of your program will reflect the investment and intensity level of the program. The chart below illustrates the relationship between the intensity level /cost per employee per year and its associated return on investment.

(Source)

For a more in depth analysis and to calculate the potential ROI of a results-based program at your facility, check out the Well Steps ROI calculator. It’s backed by the latest research and the well respected leadership at Well Steps.

Takeaway

The goal of a safety and “health” program is … safe and healthy employees. Just because a worker isn’t absent or have a lost time injury doesn’t mean they are healthy and productive.

The best safety and health programs realize this and get the most productive employees by engaging them in a results-based wellness program as part of their overall prevention strategy.

Editor’s note: This is the third post in a series titled Making the Business Case for Safety, Health, and Wellness. 

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