25 Dec, 2011
Healthier Employees Can Lead to a Healthier Bottom Line in 2012
Euless, Texas (PRWEB) December 19, 2011 — It’s time to begin thinking about New Year’s resolutions and for individuals, the resolutions typically involve ways to improve their health. For business owners, the resolutions often focus on ways to improve the bottom line.
Interestingly enough, these two resolutions have a lot in common, according to Johnette van Eeden, founder and CEO of Star Wellness, which offers wellness and preventive care screening services for businesses, local governments and school systems. Star Wellness, which began offering franchises this year, has more than 230 clients in over 20 states.
For those companies looking to create a healthier bottom line in 2012, van Eeden says one simple way to do it is to work toward creating healthier employees.
“Research has shown time and again that a healthier workforce results in a more productive workforce as well as fewer hours lost to employee absences,” she says. “In addition, a healthier workforce can give you more control over continually increasing healthcare costs.”
Creating a healthier workforce, however, is not simply a matter of encouraging employees to eat better and work out more, according to van Eeden. “If you are a business owner who really wants to significantly improve the overall health of your employees and your bottom line, you have to understand the current state of their health,” she says.
Since 2003 Star Wellness has performed health screenings on tens of thousands of employees for hundreds of businesses and organizations nationwide.
“What we’ve discovered is that no two companies have the same exact needs, although there are similarities among employees within the same industry,” van Eeden says. For example, she explains that employees in some industries may typically have issues related to diabetes or obesity, while employees in another may be more prone to issues like high blood pressure or heart disease.
“The results often surprise the owners and, in some cases, have saved lives of their employees,” van Eeden says. “It’s not uncommon to find issues such as undiagnosed diabetes, men with elevated PSA readings (prostate cancer), out of range thyroid readings or significant plaque formation in the carotid arteries — all potentially deadly diseases if left unchecked.”
Once a company knows the state of health among its employees, she says it can then develop a wellness program designed to address specific issues.
“The results are programs that create healthier and more productive employees and help you keep your resolution of improving the health of your company’s bottom line,” says van Eeden.
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