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A survey shows that more than half of large US employers offer wellness programs like gym memberships and weight loss assistance to their workers, according to Reuters.

 

The survey from MetLife, the largest life insurer in the US, found that 70 percent of employers who offer wellness programs saw them as a "very important tool for employee retention."

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One thousand, three hundred and eighty full-time employees and 1,652 managers were surveyed across mix of industries and geographic regions, MetLife said.

 

Fifty-seven percent of employers with 500 or more workers provide some sort of wellness program such as smoking cessation, weight management, an exercise plan or cancer screening.

 

Only 16 percent of smaller employers do, the survey found.

 

And about four out of five employers with wellness programs add incentives, with 40 percent offering gym memberships, 36 percent awarding gifts or prizes and 27 percent offering a discounted employee contribution to medical plans.

 

Only nine percent of employers impose financial penalties on employees who do not meet wellness guidelines, a percentage that has remained steady for two years.

 

New York City-based MetLife carries $3.3 trillion in policies.

 

 

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