Competitive- Basically means to have a heavy desire to compete in a competition successfully.

Benefit- Basically a gift or advantage that companies offer to their employees and customers. It is a gift from the company whether if it is free health insurance or discounts.

Outcome- This word basically mean the end result of something , such as an end result to research or experiment.

Participate- This word basically means getting involved with others in an activity that is taking place

Reduce- Basically means to lower the price of an item that is expensive

Improve- Basically means to become better at something such as a sport.

Purpose- Something that is created with reason and existing to help a cause

Opportunity- An occasion in time where something good can come out of it

Company wellness programs have been an ongoing trend in the past few years, and employers have been investing in these programs to help keep their employees in shape. But it has never been proven that wellness programs actually improve a person's physical and mental health. According to a review done by the American journal of managed care, they state that, “Wellness programs don’t save money and, with few exception, do not appreciable improve health. This is often because additional health screenings built into the programs encourage overuse of unnecessary care, pushing spending higher"(Greenfield). The review basically says that wellness programs don’t improve the health of a person at all, but is used to promote spending into the programs. In fact, wellness programs due however improve the physical body over a longer period of time, according to a study done by the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. “Some studies have found that wellness programs can take around three years to yield any benefits; the researchers in the University of Illinois analysis tracked savings for only a year, though they plan to keep tracking for four. "It is possible that effects will emerge in the long run, says David Molitor, another researcher on the study"(Valet). This study is really important because it helps the people participating in a wellness program about the end results. Some People that participate in a wellness program are unsure if it is improving their health or not now know that improvement will happy in the future, but not happen overnight. Due to this study, they now know that the wellness programs do help improve their health, but it will take some time to see the outcomes. Furthermore, some companies that offer a wellness program tend to say that there are two different types of people that do take advantage of a wellness program.

Employees that have participated in the wellness programs, have shown an increase in their health and have been shown to work more hours than they usually do. According to the American Psychological Association’s Center for Organizational Excellence, David W Baller, the director of the organization, states that, “AT&T employees improved their heart health by losing 40,000 pounds and logging 2 million miles during a competition where individuals and groups competed to see who could lose the most weight, stop smoking, and get healthier"(Baller). This research done by the organization proves that wellness programs do work when given time. It shows how the employees are improving and getting healthier when they’re doing something that benefits their health. Additionally, wellness programs have aided employees at work by making them more productive at work. According to a survey done by the Kaiser Family foundation, they state that , “81% of employees that have participated in the provided wellness programs have favorably impacted their productivity”(Kohll) This survey shows people who have participated in the the wellness program and how they have benefitted from it. This is a benefit because it has helped employees work harder, as well as work more hours, and taking less sick days. In any case, wellness programs have been getting popular in the last few years, but it is unsure if the programs will continue to be invested in by companies.

Wellness programs a few years back were not that popular, until employers started noticing that the workforce were becoming less productive and very obese. Today, the wellness programs have shown to be a huge benefit to companies and will continue to grow as companies invest in. In fact, a study done by the Society for Human Resource Management, states that, “70 percent of U.S. employers now offer some kind of employee wellness program, up from 58 percent in 2008”(Greenfield). This shows how far wellness programs have come today. Companies a few years back never provided them for their employees and according to the statistics, it is here to stay. The wellness programs are here to stay because they provide employees with an opportunity to help improve their health while they’re in the workforce. In addition, wellness programs aren’t going anywhere. According to, Evren Esen, who is the director of Society For Human Resource Management, she states that, “Organizations have been toying with wellness over the past five to seven years. Time has passed, and research shows wellness programs really do make a difference in reducing overall health care costs, says Esen”(Valet, 5). This proves how wellness programs weren’t that big a few years ago and now companies are provide them to their employees. This also shows how a provided wellness program can help benefit a participating employees health while in the workforce, as well as reducing the employees health care costs. With more and more companies providing a wellness program, it tends to create competition.