What are Canadian employees saying?

Employees say that employers should:

• Communicate more openly with employees 45.1%
• Provide recreational or exercise facilities 40.8%
• Train supervisors/managers to be more sensitive to employee concerns 0.4%
• Provide or support stress control programs 39.5%
• Encourage employees to improve their health 39.0%

Study by the Conference Board of Canada

• Reported that between 1990 and 1994, employer's health spending grew by 26%

Statistics Canada 1997 Labour Force Survey

• Showed that an average 7.4 days were missed by each full-time employee in 1997. For a company of 1,000 employees, with an average salary of $190 per day, this translates into $1,400 per employee, per year for incidental absenteeism or a total cost to the company of $1.4 million per year.

The Economic Burden of Illness in Canada

A 1993 report by Health Canada showed that the total cost of illness in Canada for 1993 was $156.9 billion. This is roughly equivalent to 22% of the Gross Domestic Product or $5,450 per capita.

On December 16, 1999, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reported that spending on Canada's health-care system reached $86 billion for 1999, which represented a 5.1% increase from 1998.

Health costs are dramatically rising every year.

The Perfect Solution

1000 surveyed employee priorities for improving or maintaining their health are:

• Physical Activity 69.1%
• Lose weight 52.8%
• Learn to cope better with stress and worry 37.7%
• Eat better 34.2%
• Remove a major source of stress or worry from my life 28.6%
• Drink less coffee or tea 19.8%
• Quit smoking, or smoke less 17.7%
• Change jobs 11.2%

Perfect Body Consulting can design effective specialized programs which successfully reach employees, engaging them to live healthier lives. We can help your company experience:

• Improved fitness and health
• Improved productivity and morale
• Improved job satisfaction and team spirit
• Reduced stress and back injuries
• Reduced absenteeism and turnover 
• Reduced workplace injuries
• Reduced worker's compensation costs
• Reduced claims against group benefit plans
• Improved productivity
• Up to a 400% return on investment

The Bottom Line is a Return on Investment for Business

• Canada Life Study found a return of $1.95 - $3.75 per employee per dollar spent on corporate wellness programs
• Municipal employees in Toronto: missed 3.5 fewer days in first six months of “Metro Fit” program
• BC Hydro employees enrolled in the Corporate Wellness Program had a turnover rate of 3.5% compared to company average of 10.3%
• Canadian Life Assurance Company found that turnover rate for fitness program participants was 32.4% lower than average over seven years
• In a review of studies, it was estimated that corporate wellness programs resulted in an estimated cumulative economic benefit of $500 - $700 per worker per year. (Shephard, Roy J. Do Work-Site Exercise and Health Programs Work? The Physician and Sportsmedicine Online - February 1999)

Companies that invest in employee health improvement reap significant rewards.

Improved employee health equals improved business results

Perfect Body Consulting is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the people it serves.

For a healthy company tomorrow, contact us today.