Keas Survey Highlights Need for Culture of Health at Work

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - May 14, 2014) - Keas (www.keas.com), the market leader in employee health and engagement programs, today released new survey data revealing that 66 percent of employees believe they would be more productive and engaged at work if there was a culture of health in place. Based on this data, Keas is providing tips for creating workplace values that encourage a healthy company culture, ultimately enhancing employee productivity, and, in turn, increasing revenue.

Fostering a culture of health at work has become vital for sustained employee engagement and productivity and is now a key priority for today's employers. However, there is a disconnect between employees and employers when it comes to creating a genuine culture of health.

Perks of Culture of Health at Work
According to the Keas Culture of Health survey, 88 percent say health is part of their company's stated values:

• The Health-Turnover Connection: 50 percent of employees would stay at their company for more than a decade if their employer made more of an effort to create a culture of health

• Inspiration in Peers: Almost half (47 percent) of employees would be more inclined to help create and participate in a culture of health if encouraged by peers

• The Sway of a Healthy Workforce: 62 percent of employees believe their overall health would improve if their company did more to create a culture of health

• Numbers Don't Lie: Two-thirds of employees (66 percent) believe they would be more productive and engaged at work if their company had a culture of health
  
  

"The idea of a 'culture of health' has transcended the walls of HR to become a serious business tool," said Josh Stevens, Keas CEO. "As employers reevaluate their current company culture, they must consider the intrinsic link between a truly healthy workforce and their larger business goals. Weaving healthy living into the fabric of the company culture can be tremendously impactful in workplace satisfaction, which in turn has real financial benefits in the form of reduced turnover, sick days and PTO, and increased productivity."

Employees Don't Feel the Love
While the majority of businesses incorporate health initiatives into their core values, one-third (34 percent) of employees report that their employers do not practice what they preach. In addition, when it comes to creating a culture of health at work, employees identified a few key areas where employers can improve:

• Truth in Caring: 42 percent of employees do not feel that their company truly cares about their health and well being

• Lack of 'Bad Manager' Discipline: 43 percent of employees feel executives avoid dealing with and disciplining managers that cause unhappiness and stress amongst employees

• Benefits Remain Top of Mind: 40 percent of employees say their healthcare benefits have been reduced
  
  

There's Success in Good Intentions
Comparatively, employees did rank a few areas where their companies are successfully creating a culture of health at work:

• Finding a Healthy Middle Ground: Almost half (45 percent) of employees believe that their company promotes and understands the need for a healthy work/life balance

• Healthy Bites, Satisfied Employees: 43 percent of employees report that their employers provide access to healthy snacks and food in the cafeteria

• Social is Key: 65 percent of employees acknowledged that their company's use of Keas helped to promote a culture of health
  
  

In light of the growing urgency for creating a healthier, happier workforce, Keas is offering a few tips and insights to help foster a lasting culture of health:

1. Take it Outside - A supportive culture should give employees the freedom to balance work and healthy living. This can be as simple as holding a meeting outside and encouraging your employees to take healthy breaks throughout the day.
2. Make it Desirable -Develop an educational program that makes understanding health (and benefits) a fun, social event where employees will want to participate. This will encourage all employees to feel comfortable and enthusiastic with making small, but meaningful, changes.
3. Transform Culture at its Core - The benefits gleaned from integrating healthy living into all of your organization's values are unparalleled. It is powerful for employees to know that their employers have good intentions for them and when they are ready to engage, the necessary tools and support will be available.
4. Walking the Talk is Essential - It is extremely important for senior leadership to model and support the values of the organization they expect the team to emulate. Over time, your employees will begin to associate healthy living as a key to vertical success in the company -- living the organization's values.

About the Survey
The first Keas Culture of Health survey provides a 360-degree view for creating a culture of health by examining employer values and current cultures and employee preferences and perceptions. Keas polled 761 employees across the United States that are participating in their employer-offered Keas health program via an online survey in February 2014. The margin of error is +/- 3.48.

Read more: http://keas.com/infographic/shakin-up-company-culture/

About Keas
Keas is the leading health and engagement platform in the workplace. Keas promotes healthy behaviors and teamwork with an interactive application platform that delivers relevant, personalized content to hundreds of thousands of employees. Keas has a proven track record of supporting corporate HR in increasing retention, productivity, teamwork, collaboration and competitiveness. By rewarding people for achieving simple exercise and nutrition goals, employee health is improved and overall healthcare costs are decreased. Founded in 2008 by Adam Bosworth, Keas is headquartered in San Francisco, California. For more information or a demo, visit www.keas.com. Follow Keas on Twitter at @Keas and on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/keas.