LAS VEGAS – With health-care costs rising, employers are increasingly turning toward wellness programs to counter some of the financial strain, according to the 2015 SHRM Employee Benefits Survey report released this week by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

In another recent study, SHRM found that 77% of organizations saw increases in their costs and, of those organizations, nearly a quarter (24%) had an increase of 16% or more in their overall health-care coverage costs.

“Wellness benefits provide employers with a preventative approach that can reduce health care expenses for organizations over the long haul,” explained Evren Esen, director of SHRM’s survey programs. “Rising health care costs also remain a primary driver for how other benefit costs are allocated, as employers are still evaluating the impact of the Affordable Care Act.”

According to the survey, the top wellness benefits offered to manage chronic diseases and other health-related issues include wellness resources and information (80% of respondents) and wellness programs (70%). Additionally, wellness benefits such as health and lifestyle coaching, smoking cessation programs and premium discounts for getting an annual risk assessment have risen in the past five years.

The survey of 463 randomly selected HR professionals examines more than 300 benefits. Among other findings of the survey:

• The most common employee benefits were paid holidays (offered by 98% of respondents), dental insurance and prescription drug programs (both 96%), mental health coverage and professional memberships (both 91%), and organization-provided break room/kitchenette and traditional 401(k) or similar defined contribution retirement savings plan (both 90%).
• The three family-friendly benefits that have decreased over the last five years were bringing children into work in an emergency (22%), childcare referral services (9%) and on-site parenting seminars (1%).
• The percentage of organizations paying for certification/recertification fees in 2015 (78%) increased, compared to 71% in 2011.

New benefits added to this year’s report include egg freezing for nonmedical reasons (2%), paid surrogacy leave (5%), company-provided fitness bands/activity trackers (13%), company-organized fitness competitions (34%), and company-provided student loan repayment (3%).