Employers 'care about my health,' say workers, but could do more to back it up

Two out of three employees surveyed feel their employer cares, but fewer see tangible evidence

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Jun 10, 2014, 09:06 ET

EAST GREENWICH, R.I., June 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Good news: America's workers, by a 2 to 1 margin, believe their employer "cares about my health."

Bad news: These employees often lack resources that can actually improve their health, such as weight management programs, exercise classes, company-run health/wellness programs, on-site fitness equipment, health coaches or healthy food options.

Provant's Workplace Wellness Infographic. (PRNewsFoto/Provant)

This paradox is revealed in a new online survey conducted in April by Harris Poll on behalf of Provant, a leading national population health management company.

Workers were asked, "Which of the following, if any, does your workplace provide/allow to support employees' health/healthy habits? Please select all that apply." None of these options broke the 25 percent threshold:

Company run health/wellness programs	22 percent
Healthy food options in the kitchen or cafeteria	21 percent
Taking a walk when feeling stressed or overwhelmed	20 percent
On-site fitness equipment/gym	20 percent
Health advocacy programs	17 percent
Weight management programs	15 percent
Full or partial reimbursement for fitness classes/organizations	13 percent
Exercise classes	12 percent
Health coaches	8 percent
Encouragement to use technology like Fitbits to track health decisions	7 percent
Other	5 percent
None	25 percent

Workers were also asked how strongly they agreed or disagreed with the statement, "I feel like my employer cares about my health." Sixty-six (66) percent chose the answer "somewhat agree" or "strongly agree."

"Employees who are healthy are more engaged and more productive," said Provant CEO Heather Provino. "When companies provide workplace wellness programs, workers see that their employers care about them. An additional benefit is that we find employers who link their wellness programs with their business strategies are more successful in achieving their organizational goals."

Workplace Support for Health

"We're committed to making the workplace a setting where tangibly improving one's well-being is realistic," said Provant Health Coach Candice Fioravanti, M.S. "Removing barriers to health and wellness creates a dual bottom line for employees and employers. Together, they enjoy lower costs, enhanced productivity, higher morale, more effective talent recruitment and a strong corporate brand. The closer you look, the bigger the return on employers' wellness investments." Click for related article: Seven wellness myths.

Methodology

The Provant survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll using its QuickQuery Omnibus platform between April 24 and 28, 2014, among 2,130 adults aged 18 and older, of whom 923 are employed full/part time. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact [email protected].

About Provant

Founded in 2001, Provant's vision is to change the health of America, one person at a time. With its network of 10,000+ employees nationwide, Provant touches more than six million lives by delivering customized worksite health and wellness strategies and services. Provant is a privately held company and is headquartered in East Greenwich, R.I. www.provanthealth.com

Photo- http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140609/116257

SOURCE Provant