Tuesday, September 9, 2008

“Wellness Leave” Unsurprisingly Popular With Employees

“Southern Cross’s in-house fitness programme, which includes the ability to earn paid “wellness leave”, has saved the insurance society $700,000 – more than four times what it cost to implement. Switch2well has, according to Southern Cross, delivered a 7 per cent improvement in employee satisfaction and an almost 15 per cent reduction in employee absence, representing a saving of more than $700,000 in lost time and productivity. This far outstrips Southern Cross’s investment of $160,000 in the scheme. Switch2well has three main focuses: weight management and nutritional advice, sports and fitness, and personal wellbeing. ‘Wellness Rewards’ were introduced to motivate staff, including the ability to earn paid wellness leave. The programme was awarded with the inaugural Power Plate corporate health initiative of the year at the Fitness Life Awards 2008 last week.”

http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/wellness-leave-unsurprisingly-popular-with-employees-34983

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