Workplace wellness helps employees stick to resolutions: poll

A new poll by Workplace Options finds that more than half of Americans said that free workplace wellness offerings would likely help them reach their health goals. These programs include weight loss coaching, tobacco cessation programs, an onsite gym and other resources.

Of those that made 2014 resolutions, 27% vowed to lose weight, 25% want to exercise more and 6% reported a want to quit smoking, according to the poll conducted Jan. 23-26.

Nearly half (49%) said that weight loss coaching would help, 43% said they would benefit from tobacco-cessation programs and 59% said having an on-site gym would “be helpful” in keeping to their goals.

“Giving staff access to resources can sometimes be the difference between a lifetime change and one that ends on January 2,” says Dean Debnam, chief executive officer of Workplace Options.

Debnam adds that “healthier employees miss less work and are more productive when they are at work. That affects the bottom line, in addition to creating a positive company culture.”