Wellness Programs in Recent Years Research Proposal

Such an evaluation will examine factors such as program participation, specific health outcomes, and the satisfaction levels of participants (Mulvihill 2003). Once these outcomes are fully understood the appropriate actions can be taken to ensure that the benefits of the program continue and the aspects of the program that need correction are remedied (Mulvihill 2003).

Obstacles to Wellness Program Participation

Although wellness programs are extremely positive, there are some obstacles attached to such programs. For instance, in some cases it is difficult to get employees to participate in such programs. The reason for the hesitancy is fear. This fear arises when employees feel that a health screening might reveal ailments such as diabetes and their jobs may be jeopardized. Basically, many employees believe that their medical information will be given to employers and been used to deny them job promotion.

To overcome this particular obstacle it is important that organizations ensure the privacy of medical records. In addition organizations can offer incentives to encourage participation. Such incentives can be inclusive of "decreasing employees' co-pays and offering extra time off to giving gifts and bonuses ("Wellness Programs")." Overcoming such obstacles must also include educating employees concerning the costs of healthcare. Once employees understand the importance of such programs they will be more likely to participate.

Conclusion

The popularity of Wellness Programs is on the rise because of the benefits associated with offering employees the aforementioned services. The overall goal of a wellness programs is to provide employees with the opportunity to live the healthiest lives that they can. In doing this organizations are able to reduce costs and increase productivity.In the long-run maintaining a healthy staff results in a great deal of profitability for the organizations.

Although wellness programs can be quite beneficial it is important that employers also take into consideration the disadvantages associated with these programs and attempt to remedy these issues prior to the implementation of a wellness program. The implementation of a wellness program takes careful planning and consideration. Organizations that wish to implement such a program should consider the core practices that have been established by wellness professionals. Failure to institute these core practices can result in the failure of a wellness program. Overall the implementation of such a program could be quite beneficial to employees and employers if it is properly implemented. Employers can save a great deal of money as it pertains to healthcare costs and employees can live out their lives with fewer chronic health problems.

Works Cited

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Mulvihill M. The Definition and Core Practices of WellnessJournal of Employee Assistance. Retrieved September 27, 2009 from; http://www.awlp.org/awlp/pub/nwfm_Definition_Practices_Wellness.pdf

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