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It's often a conundrum for most employers to create employee loyalty within their company. Figuring out how to motivate employees, keep them happy and prevent them for looking for other employment is a major concern, especially given the diverse interest and priorities between Baby Boomers and Millennials. Where do you start? What would the budget look like, if there even is one? Maybe this will help. Towergate Insurance performed a recent study and created an infographic to try to answer the question,

According to a new survey from HealthMine, 46% of employees who were diagnosed with a chronic condition like high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes over the last two years discovered their condition through a workplace wellness program. That’s almost half! This makes wellness programs a no brainer. For employees, diagnosing chronic conditions allows them and their healthcare providers to handle the condition, manage it, mitigate it and prevent it from getting worse. For employers, it allows employees the chance to manage their condition which in turn lowers the total healthcare benefit costs. The other major advantage for employers- if employees are diagnosed with a condition in the context of a workplace wellness program, they are more willing to take biometric screenings for other preventable or manageable conditions. Learn what to screen for our the white paper, Building a Healthier Workforce through Early Detection here. Here are a few more key stats from the survey:

Employee wellness initiatives have taken many forms over the last 5-10 years. They have ranged from biometric screenings to company exercise groups to discounts on health insurance. Each company does it differently, depending on what is most effective for their specific organization. But according to this Washington Post article, employee wellness is taking a new turn and it's compelling for both employers and employees. Employee wellness is becoming part of company culture. With a growing millennial component to the American workforce, employers are focusing on enticing younger employees with perks and attractive cultural components in the work environment. Wellness programs are shifting to be a component of these types of company culture and positioning efforts. So what does it mean for employers? How can they measure ROI when they take tangible metrics and transition them into the "intangible benefits" so important to difficult-to-please millennial? Here are a few ways:

Employers are at all points on the learning curve when it comes to health and wellness programs. However, as employee engagement increases, so does employer health and wellness spending. The average per employee cost for health and wellness programs is up almost $100 over 2014 and the use of screenings and carrot rewards to boost engagement are also increasing. The decreased use of "stick" disincentives along with the increased use of biometric benchmarking is making health and wellness programs more inviting to employees. According to a recent study of employers offering health and wellness programming in 2015:

As wellness programs become a mainstream part of HR programming, and a sought after employee benefit, it's important to know what you're getting into. Some employers are now building wellness programs to "check the box." Adding a smoking cessation program, or a weight loss group to the office culture to help reduce insurance cost, or satiate the employee desire to get healthier. However, even if you plan to make a small investment in an employee wellness program, it's important that you find the right options for your staff and for your bottom line. Here are a few tips that will help you get your wellness program on track.