Where do corporate wellness programs allocate funds?
The focus of corporate wellness program budgets is usually the onsite fitness center, if there is one. Often, healthy food is separate from the fitness center, although the onsite food vendor may work with the gym to market healthy food items.
While fitness is often the centerpiece, wellness services are usually marketed as a part of the gym – e.g. massage, chiropractic, acupuncture. Other screenings offered include body composition, glucose, blood pressure, derma-scan, cholesterol, and flu shots. Some corporate campuses even offer onsite medical and dental services on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis. Insurance companies that represent employees at a particular corporation may even offer wellness seminars or screenings for free.
Every site/contract is different, but generally wellness could be broken down as follows:
-Fitness Center – largest sector – 50% (this includes payroll, facility, equipment, toiletries, towels, etc)
-Incentive Programs – 15%
-Marketing – 15%
-Screenings – 10%
The expense of the gym can be offset if the member pays a nominal fee (say $20 per month). It depends on what each company is willing and able to offer. Corporations contract with companies, such as Health Fitness, MediFit, Reach Fitness, or Take Care Health to provide turnkey fitness and wellness services for them. Usually the liason on the client side (the corporation) helps determine the budget.