Keas Unveils National Employee Health and Engagement Survey for 2014

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Dec 18, 2013) - Keas (www.keas.com), the market leader in employee health and engagement programs, today announced the results of its 2014 Health Trends Survey. Employees have health at top of mind for 2014, with 82 percent resolving to lose weight, exercise more, or reduce stress in the New Year -- and they are looking to their employers to create company cultures of health to help them make these resolutions stick. Employees report that key motivators would be cash and prize rewards for participating in corporate health programs (55 percent) and access to health programs and on-site gyms and fitness classes (38 percent).

In a Keas survey of HR executives earlier this year, 61 percent reported that their top health-related priorities for 2014 were to create a culture of health at work and to help employees become healthier through corporate sponsored programs, such as Keas. The Keas 2014 Health Trends Survey underscores the importance of cultivating a company culture of health, and the strong connection between employee health and overall engagement and happiness in the workforce.

Desire for Better Health Drives Employee Resolutions for 2014
Nearly half of respondents cited better health as a top priority for 2014 (43 percent), trumping more money (17 percent), more time (19 percent) and more sex (14 percent). Health improvement goals continue to be a top priority, as the top three New Year's resolutions are to lose weight (33 percent), exercise more (28 percent) and reduce stress (21 percent).

What Would You Sacrifice for GREAT Health in 2014?
If you're like 95 percent of the employees surveyed, you wouldn't give up coffee or alcohol if it meant you received great health in return. However, the vices that are on the chopping block include:

• Just say NO to sugar -- 57 percent would give up their sweet tooth vices, including sweets (34 percent) and soda (23 percent)
• Supersize me? No, thanks -- 34 percent would cruise past the drive-through window, waving goodbye to fast food 
• Football, Mad Men, Real Housewives? Meh -- 35 percent would give up watching TV if it meant they would be healthier

Employees Aren't Going to Take 2014 Sitting Down
The word is out -- time to ditch the traditional desk-and-chair setup. Research has found that, even with regular exercise, the more time adults spend sitting increases the risk of premature death. In 2014, employees are making sure they're not just talking the talk -- they plan on taking a stand, and a walk, quite literally:

• 53 percent believe that sitting all day is what has the most negative impact on their health
• 42 percent of employees would give up sitting at work and are willing to adopt a standing desk work style
• 58 percent plan to take walks during work hours or eat lunch away from their desks

Employers Take Note: Employee 'Health at Work' Wish List
While providing standing desks might be an easy item for employers to accommodate in 2014, that action alone will not likely be enough to keep employees motivated to keep resolutions and achieve health goals. Fifty-five percent of employees would be motivated to participate in corporate health programs if rewards such as cash (38 percent) and prizes (17 percent) were on the line. Other workplace health perks employees crave include company health initiatives and onsite gyms and fitness classes (38 percent), and the option to work flexible hours and/or from home (21 percent).

The Year of Quantifiable Self (Improvement)
The survey also reveals technology will continue to play a significant role in health in 2014. The large majority of respondents (83 percent) are using apps and gadgets to track activity related to food and exercise in order to improve overall health (37 percent), lose weight (29 percent) and satisfy curiosity about their health data (22 percent).

Makers of the electronic fork might be out of luck though (only five percent were interested in purchasing one), as apps outpace gadgets in the quantified self arena among users (55 percent vs. 25 percent), but those polled say the gadgets they would buy to understand and improve their health include:

• Body analyzing devices that measure weight, fat, blood pressure, etc. (47 percent)
• Body tracking devices that don't have to be worn as a bracelet (24 percent)
• Gaming consoles or accessories that provide distraction during a workout (16 percent)

"The trillion dollar question for employers today is how to not only boost employee engagement and productivity in the workplace, but keep it growing. Engaging employees by making health part of the company culture has become a key factor in this equation," said Josh Stevens, CEO of Keas. "Healthier employees are happier employees, and happier employees are more engaged and productive. The New Year ahead provides a clean slate for employers to begin to or continue inspiring and motivating their employees to achieve their personal health goals by taking advantage of available resources, such as corporate health programs like Keas, which provides a fun, educational way to learn about nutrition, exercise and how to reduce stress, and quantified self apps and devices."

About the Survey
The Keas 2014 Health Trends Survey provides a view of employee attitudes toward health in 2014 by examining resolutions for the New Year, opinions of health in the workplace, and quantified self technology. Keas polled 434 employees across the United States that are participating in their employer-offered Keas health program, via an online survey between November 26 and December 8, 2013. The margin of error is +/- 4.47 percentage points.

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.

Read more: http://keas.com/infographic/2014-health-trends-survey/