'Wellness' a healthy investment for company - CNN.com

I like the way this company is trying to help with their employees' health. They're not forcing any employees to be involved with their wellness program.

Do you think more companies should do this or is an employee's health really not an employer's business?

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"Anybody who believes the pen is mightier than the sword hasn't been inside a maximum security prison." ~ Lisa Scottoline

I think the employee should offer more health club memberships thru them or even have a few excerise machines that the employees could use at lunch or breaks or after work.

If an employee stays healthy that benifits the employeer in the long run. Less time off of work for sick leave. Less health benifits used.

When I had my business, If an employee wanted to quite smoking and got a dr to prescribe the patches (at that time you couldn't buy them over the counter) I would pay 1/2 and if they quite smoking for 6 months, i reimburst them their half.

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I definitely think that employers should encourage healthy living.

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~Happiness is a large family~

Well, my husband is in the military so he doesn't have much choice in the matter. I remember when I taught one of the teachers would run during her lunchbreak. A couple board members saw her one day and chewed her out for exercising during work, crazy really.

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Jenny, wife to Brad, mommy to two crazy little kids with one on the way!

I've no problems with voluntary programs like that. Here at EDS we used to have a really nice gym. I'd go work on the equipment, had a personal trainer, took yoga at lunch & kickboxing after work. $5/month. Extra for a full hour w/ a trainer, but we became friends and he just helped me out no charge. He's now my massage therapist. They got rid of the gym years ago and I still miss it. It was a great perk.

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Why? Was she stinky after her run? As long as she showered afterward (or at least didn't get smelly), I can't imagine what the board members would get so upset about.

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"Anybody who believes the pen is mightier than the sword hasn't been inside a maximum security prison." ~ Lisa Scottoline

Yes, I do believe that employers should be involved and concerned about employee's health. Everyone knows that healthcare costs are skyrocketing...and it not only benefits the employees but also benefits the employers with less money paid out for premiums.

At my work, we have a gym that has treadmills, ellyptical, steppers, rowing machine, stationary bike, hand weights and stationary weights. It is a great facility. We also have had a wellness program in effect for the last 4 years. This year, however has been the most aggressive. The wellness program itself is much more involved in the physical activity this year than the eating right. They have figured that more physical activity/less healthy eating is better than healthy eating/less physical.... and it's proven, so far, to be correct. It's soo cool to look out the window at lunch time and see 20-25 people running, walking or up in the workout room lifting weights or doing some form of physical activity. It used to be 5-10 people working out everyday.
We, also, have company walks each week, with small perks if/when you walk/run. We have a running club and you get different items for each goal you hit. We even have included each locations across the US in the running/walking. So far with all of our locations, we have run 24,301 miles and it's only 1/2 way through the year. They set a goal at the beginning of the year to go 24,301 since that is an estimate of going the whole way around the world. At the end of the year, you get paid for however many activities you complete. It's a really good program and it's strictly voluntary, no one is forced to do it.

Employers getting involved with their employees health is only a good thing for everyone involved.

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