WASHINGTON, April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- YourWellnessAdvantage.com, a free workplace wellness resource for small and mid-size businesses from the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, has expanded its online services in response to results from a recent survey of benefits managers.  The new services include a Wellness Services Locator, which helps businesses find local providers of wellness, nutrition and fitness programs; a Content Curation service featuring articles and blogs from leading business and benefits management sources; and a community forum where business executives can exchange questions, ideas and best practices.

The survey, conducted by the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation in January, found that only 28 percent of smaller companies (10-99 employees) had or were in the process of implementing workplace wellness programs compared to 78 percent of larger employers (100-2,499 employees). One of the reasons for this difference in adoption appears to be that smaller companies are not aware of the economic benefits of workplace wellness programs. Only 20 percent of smaller companies surveyed "strongly agreed" that program benefits exceed costs, compared with 38 percent of the larger employers surveyed. According to the National Business Group on Health, a non-profit industry advisory group, employers can realize up to $3.27 in financial benefits for every $1 invested in workplace wellness programs.

In addition to a lack of understanding of the financial benefits of workplace wellness programs, smaller company executives indicated that staffing challenges, lack of support from senior management and lack of adequate budgets were keeping them from launching wellness programs for their employees. Benefits managers are, however, anxious for help in overcoming these challenges. More than 75 percent indicated an interest in an online resource that would help locate nearby wellness services and programs, and 3 out of 5 were interested in participating in webinars on best practices for workplace wellness program management. Both of these interests are addressed in the expanded content on YourWellnessAdvantage.com

"Smaller companies have an even greater stake in the health and productivity of their workforce than larger employers," says Lisa Gable, Executive Director of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation. "The information, tools and resources available on YourWellnessAdvantage.com are designed to help employers of all sizes launch or expand wellness programs to achieve fewer lost workdays, increased productivity and lower comparative health insurance costs."

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SOURCE Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation