Wellness Companies

What are wellness programs?

Employees are an essential component of any business because they directly contribute to the success or failure of the company. Today’s enterprises aim at increasing worker productivity and lowering costs. One way to achieve that is by investing in employee’s health through wellness programs. Since employees are an integral part, it is in the best interest of any organization to have a healthy, motivated, and productive workforce.

Wellness programs are an additional benefit or perk that employers can provide for their employees. The incentive for companies to offer them is to help employees stay engaged, increase employee satisfaction, consequently increasing employee retention and saving money.

According to HealthCare.gov, a wellness program is “… a program intended to improve and promote health and fitness that’s usually offered through the workplace, although insurance plans can offer them directly to their enrollees. The program allows your employer or plan to offer you premium discounts, cash rewards, gym memberships, and other incentives to participate. Some examples of wellness programs include programs to help you stop smoking, diabetes management programs, weight loss programs, and preventative health screenings.”

To encourage healthier behaviors among their employees, organizations offer medical screenings, incentives, access to different fitness programs, and organize fitness challenges.

The most popular and desired plan is a gym membership. However, the list also includes strategies for smoking cessation, weight and obesity management, physical examinations, and dietary advice.

Other components of a highly effective wellness program include a healthy menu at cafeterias, a work-site gym, bike-sharing programs, and meditation and mindfulness areas.

More than half of employers add more niche “point solutions” such as diabetes management, mental well-being, financial wellness, etc. (Myshortlister, 2019).

Other companies that want to stand out have started offering more unique programs, such as Google’s massage therapy program and nap pods.

The trend these last years has shifted from physical-health-oriented programs to new and emerging mental-health-focused programs. As the interest and demand for emotional wellness and behavior well-being are growing, employers should take notice of these trends and adapt according to the needs of their employees.

Examples of wellness programs:

Benefits of Wellness Programs

Companies and employees stand to gain numerous benefits from wellness programs. Employees experience increased job morale, better health, and a boost in performance, while the companies have a great return on investment by lowering health care costs and reducing employee absenteeism.

The latest statistics show that more than three-quarters of organizations offer some type of wellness program, resource, or service to their employees, indicating that businesses are starting to prioritize employee well-being as a business objective.

Companies that offer wellness programs report increased financial sustainability and growth. Fewer sick days, lower healthcare costs, and a lower likelihood of workplace accidents all contribute to lowering costs; therefore, companies enjoy a sizable return on investment.

The statistics show the positive impact that workplace wellness programs have on organizations. Employee morale is cited as the most improved metric from introducing wellness plans.

When employees know their employer cares about their quality of life, it creates a more engaged workforce, and employees want to stay longer at the company.

Workplace wellness programs positively affect the company culture.

By improving the employer brand, it is easier to attract top talent and new recruits.

In the end, companies have a lot to consider when it comes to choosing which program to offer. Wellness programs should not be overlooked, as they provide an easy way for employers to ensure the well-being and satisfaction of their employees. As mentioned above, the benefits the company will gain by implementing them are numerous.

Public vs. Private: How Shortlister Gets Paid

	Shortlister App Subscription/Login Required	Shortlister Public Site myshortlister.com
Who can Access Shortlister?	Versions of the Shortlister app are available for employers and benefits consultants to access detailed information on service providers and issue RFPs.	Anyone can access the basic vendor data listed on the Shortlister public site, free of charge.
Do employer & consultant users pay to access Shortlister?	Yes – There is a monthly subscription fee	No – Shortlister's public site has tens of thousands of visitors per month that are researching vendors. They do not pay to access this basic vendor data.
Do service providers pay to be listed?	No – Service providers can enroll on the Shortlister app for free.	No – Service Providers do not pay to be listed on the Shortlister public site.
Can service providers pay to improve their position?	No – The Shortlister app's matching algorithm is completely neutral & unbiased. It matches employer & consultant users with service providers based on how closely the buyers requirements match the service provider's capabilities.	Yes – ONLY on Shortlister's public site. Service providers can bid to show up higher on listing pages. This is how Shortlister is compensated for the substantial effort it takes to curate this pages and vet vendor data.
What if a service provider doesn't pay Shortlister?	Nothing – Service providers don't pay a fee to participate on the Shortlister app and are matched based on how well their capabilities align with a buyer's demographics and needs.	Service providers will still be listed on the pages for the services they provide, they will just be listed below those that have bid to list higher on that particular product page.
What about the Top Vendor lists at the top of the product listing pages? Is there a fee to be listed?	Not Applicable – The Shortlister app doesn't display Top Vendor lists because the algorithm generates a custom list based on the customer's needs.	Yes - There is a nominal fee of $50 per quarter that's charged if a service provider is approved for a Top Vendor list. Shortlister evaluates vendor capabilities & market performance data to determine who should be listed. Evaluating this data takes considerable time and effort, so the nominal $50 fee covers the cost of the work it takes to curate these lists. If a vendor applies for a Top Vendor list but doesn’t meet the criteria, they are not charged a fee.
Who provides reviews of service providers?	Reviews on Shortlister's app are collected from employers and consultants. Service providers are also able to collect reviews from their customers, once they are validated by Shortlister. When a user is logged into the Shortlister app, they can clearly see the source of the review.	Public site reviews are an aggregation of employer, consultant and provider-collected reviews. There is no way for public site visitors to differentiate the source of the review.
Do service providers see information and reviews put in the site by your users?	Service providers cannot see the information put in by Shortlister's consultant and employer users.	Service providers can see information that was collected from their own clients.