every dollar spent on wellness programs saves $3.17 in corporate medical costs.*
Absenteeism costs fall by $2.73 for every dollar spent on wellness programs.*
At 6 months, electronic staff records showed that yoga participants missed a total of 2 working days due to musculoskeletal conditions compared with 43 days for usual care participants.**
The risk for long-term dropout from work decreased by nearly 60 %, the mental and physical workability increased, as well as the hours participants returned back to work.***
Maintaining established wellness programs is imperative as costs continue to decrease over time, benefiting both the employer and employee.
BENEFITS TO EMPLOYER:
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Decreases reliance on health insurance benefits
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Lower rates of absenteeism and increases productivity
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Encourages management of chronic disease
BENEFITS OF MOVEMENT:
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Boosts energy levels
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Sharpens focus and concentration leading to increased productivity
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Improves response to stress and psychological health
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Elevates affect which increases motivation and staff synergy
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Remediates effects of sitting, improves posture and promotes overall health and wellbeing
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Reduces pain of individuals with musculoskeletal conditions
BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS:
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Enhances attention and cognitive function establishing peace of mind and equanimity
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Improves psychological health by alleviating anxiety and depression
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Promotes better sleep quality
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Improves affect and mood regulation
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Provides stress relief and coping skills for how individuals react to conflict
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Creates a positive work environment
BENEFITS OF BREATHWORK:
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Improves inflammatory biomarkers, prevents and manages metabolic conditions and chronic diseases
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Brings clarity of mind resulting in sharpened focus and concentration
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Reduces stress levels and reactions to stress in the workplace
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Increases affect
(Refer to the list below for references and more information.)
CONSUMER ARTICLES:
1. Campbell, C. (2018, March 14). Knoxville ranked as no. 6 fattest city in the U.S. Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved from www.knoxnews.com.
2. Levine, J.A. (2014, September 4). Adult Health. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org.
Search for Adult Health, sitting too much.
3. Mayo Clinic Staff. (2016, May 16). Stress Management. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org.
Search for Healthy Lifestyle, Stress Management.
4. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2013, July). Yoga: In Depth. Retrieved from https://nccih.nih.gov.
5. Novotny, S., & Kravitz, L. The Science of Breathing. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.unm.edu.
https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/Breathing.html
6. Vernikos, J. (2011). Sitting Kills, Moving Heals: How Everyday Movement Will Prevent Pain, Illness, and Early Death -- and Exercise Alone Won't. Fresno, CA: Quill Driver Books.
7. Yoga for Health. (2016, September 3). Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov.
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000876.htm
RESEARCH STUDIES:
1. Axen, I., Follen, K. (2017). Medical yoga in the workplace setting−perceived stress and work ability−a feasibility study.Complementary Therapies in Medicine. 30, 61-66. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2016.12.001. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28137528
*2. . Baicker K., Cutler D. , Song Z. (2010). Workplace wellness programs can generate savings, Health Affairs, 29 (2), 1-8. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2009.0626.
3. Brewer, J. et al (2011) Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity. PNAS. 108 (50) 20254-20259. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1112029108.
http://www.pnas.org/content/108/50/20254
***4. De Bruin, E. I., Formsma, A. R., Frijstein, G., & Bögels, S. M. (2017). Mindful2Work: Effects of combined physical exercise, yoga, and mindfulness meditations for stress relieve in employees. A proof of concept study. Mindfulness, 8(1), 204–217. Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0593-s. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5241323/
5. Dwivedi, U., Kumari, S., Akhilesh, K. B., & Nagendra, H. R. (2015). Well-being at workplace through mindfulness: Influence of Yoga practice on positive affect and aggression. Ayu, 36(4), 375–379. Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.4103/0974-8520.190693.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20105062
6. Dwivedi, U., Kumari, S., & Nagendra, H. R. (2016). Effect of yoga practices in reducing counterproductive work behavior and its predictors. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 58(2), 216–219. Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5545.183778. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27385858
**7.Hartfiel, H., Clarke, G., Havenhand, J., Phillips, C., Edwards, R.T. (2017). Cost-effectiveness of yoga for managing musculoskeletal conditions in the workplace, Occupational Medicine, 67(9), 687–695. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqx161. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29202204
8. Highland, K.B. et al., (2018). Benefits of the restorative exercise and strength training for operational resilience and excellence yoga program for chronic low back pain in service members: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 99(1) , 91 - 98. Retrieved from DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2017.08.473. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28919191
9. Jerath, R., Edry, J.W., Barnes, V.A., Jerath, V. (2006) Physiology of long pranayamic breathing: Neural respiratory elements may provide a mechanism that explains how slow deep breathing shifts the autonomic nervous system. Medical Hypotheses. Retrieved from http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877(06)00166-6/fulltext.
10. Ross A, Thomas S. The health benefits of yoga and exercise: a review of comparison studies. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2010;16(1):3–12. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2009.0044
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20105062
11. Shete, S. U., Verma, A., Kulkarni, D. D., & Bhogal, R. S. (2017). Effect of yoga training on inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein in employees of small-scale industries. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 6, 76. Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.4103/jehp.jehp_65_17. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28856165
12. van Donghen, J.M., van Berkel, J. et. al. (June 2016). Long-term cost-effectiveness and return-on-investment of a mindfulness-based worksite intervention: results of a randomized controlled trial. JOEM, 58, 6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27281638.