Governments Taking Action
Governments are now taking action and helping
businesses mitigate the cost of programs. The
U.K. has been busy in 2011, from the launch of a
National Wellbeing Index to Dame Carol Black’s
groundbreaking report that is leading to radical, new
approaches to health and work in Britain. (The report
found that the workforce’s ill health was costing
the country £100 billion annually, enough to run the
entire National Health Service.) In the U.S., the recent
passage of Obama’s healthcare reform will give
employers much bigger incentives to offer wellness
programs: Starting in 2014, companies will be able
to offer rewards of up to 30% (potentially 50%) of the
total cost of an employee’s insurance coverage. That
can mean saving thousands of dollars per employee.
Where Spas Fit
Japan may have invented employee wellness back
in the 1920s, mandating that workers start every day
with calisthenics, but programs at large companies