Strong connection between wellness, lower turnover

Organizations that foster a strong “culture of health” have significantly lower turnover, according to new research by the Mercer business consulting firm.

The company’s 2017 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans, released earlier this year, asked employers if they used a variety of well-being best practices. A Mercer statement said those included offering behavioral health programs such as incentives for quitting smoking, inviting spouses to participate in wellness programs and “perhaps most important of all, including support for a healthy workplace culture in the company vision or mission statement.”

Employers that featured five or more wellness best practices had average turnover of 18%, compared to 29% for employers that had implemented two or fewer.

The results held up across industries, from traditionally high-turnover fields such as retail to the relatively stable world of high-tech.

Mercer said other best practices correlating to lower turnover include:

• Offering wellness apps and web sites
• Analyzing employee behavioral health issues
• Offering stress management programs
• Imposing smoker surcharges.