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The quote from Jessica Raddemann, executive director of the Wellness Council of Wisconsin, in TheNorthwestern.com says it all: “Employees' unhealthy lifestyles can be very costly to organizations and employer's should take significant measures to enhance the health and productivity of their most significant asset — their employees. To do nothing is simply not an option for employers.”

As the piece states: “With rising health care costs, companies are starting to realize the significance of employee wellness for the bottom-line. Corporate wellness programs can help lower health care costs, can create a sense of community and a healthier office culture, increase productivity and reduce absenteeism.”

To try to help on a local level, “the Oshkosh (WI) YMCA recommends companies survey their employees first. The YMCA offers a very quick and easy survey that employers can email to their employees or insert as a payroll stuffer.”

Added Raddemann: “Now more than ever, it is an ideal time to incorporate workplace wellness programs as a health care cost containment strategy, as a recruitment and retention tool and a moral builder.”

Indeed, the Oshkosh YMCA released this video: