Increasing numbers of companies are realizing the positive impact that on-site wellness programs have on their health care costs. An article from the American Journal of Health Promotions noted that, for every dollar that a company invested in a company wellness program, they generally received a return of between $2.13 and $10.10. Not a bad investment! An estimated 75% of companies in the Fortune 500 have a wellness program, as do 81% of companies with 50 employees or more.
Having wellness services such as chiropractic care in the workplace is particularly useful for companies specializing in IT Services and Computer Programming. Long hours spent in front of a computer under conditions of high stress are commonplace at these companies. They must deliver products on tight deadlines, and it is not unusual for IT workers to still be at it late at night. So much extended sitting puts a strain on the musculoskeletal system and the body in general.
Sabre Holdings, the parent company of Travelocity.com, has taken the proactive approach to healthcare by incorporating an on-site chiropractor into their company’s wellness program. The CEO of Sabre Holdings, Sam Gilliland, runs marathons in his spare time and credits chiropractic care with keeping him running and keeping his company’s health care costs to a minimum. He says that for every dollar invested, his company has saved about three dollars.
Jennifer Korba, a Sabre employee who has been in a wheelchair for 26 years, uses the on-site chiropractic care to keep her overworked arms in good shape. She attributes the on-site therapy with keeping her off the operating table. Chiropractors are expert at treating conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system, and back and neck pain are particular specialties. On-site chiropractic care can keep employees healthy and pain-free, reducing work hours lost to illness and recovery time.
Companies in the information technology sector need to attract the best and brightest employees, and having an on-site chiropractor is one of the benefits they offer to be sure they attract the cream of the crop. Google’s Mountain View, CA, campus offers their employees on-site chiropractors as well as physical therapists, masseuses and doctors to help keep their workers in top mental and physical condition. A company is only as good as its workers, and some of the success enjoyed by Google and Sabre may be due to the care they take with the well-being of their employees by providing them with on-site chiropractic care and other wellness services.