Employers Offer Incentives for Healthy Behaviour
With continuing pressure to control healthcare costs, more U.S. companies plan to offer financial incentives to reward workers who adopt healthy lifestyles, says a survey by Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health. Nearly half (46 per cent) of employers surveyed currently offer financial incentives to encourage workers to monitor and improve their health or plan to offer incentives next year.
By 2009, that number is expected to surpass 70 per cent. The survey found that companies with effective health and productivity programs demonstrate superior performance, they achieve 20 per cent more revenue per employee, have 16.1 per cent higher market value and deliver 57 per cent higher shareholder returns.
Source: Benefits & Pensions Monitor (November 8, 2007)
