Exercise and Health: Employer led programs

Are you fortunate enough to work for a large organization that provides some form of corporate health and well being program? Do you take advantage of them?

Studies out of America are saying that employers have stopped using the carrot approach and are about to use the stick for those people who don't take part in the programs. (Hewitt Associates).

The survey of nearly 600 large US employers and 10 million employees showed:

58% offer employees incentives for participating in health and wellness programs

81% say they plan to use higher benefit premiums for those who don't participate

17% say they will increase deductibles

17% say they will increase out of pocket expenses

The types of behaviourswhich will be penalised include: Smoking (64%) Not participating in disease management / lifestyle  behaviour programs (50%) Not participating in biometric screening (50%)

Which is something to think about.

As reported in HR Leader Magazine, May 11 2010 p8