More than 40 percent of employees at mid-sized businesses sayhaving a wellness program offered by their employer would, or does,encourage them to work harder and perform better, according to arecent PrincipalFinancial Well-Being Index.

To meet the demand, The Principal, a retirement and global assetmanagement leader, has introduced a new wellness program designedto suit midsized businesses.

“We know that with wellness one size doesn’t necessarily fitall, which is why we’ve taken a different approach for midsizebusinesses,” says Lee Dukes, president of Principal WellnessCompany, a subsidiary of the Principal Financial Group. “Ourprograms for these businesses contain many of the featuresavailable to large companies, but are flexible enough to still meetthe specific needs of these businesses at an affordable cost.”

Designed for employers with 300-1,000 employees, the newwellness program allows each employer to create a tailored programbased on its specific needs. The Principal works with the employerto develop a customized incentive strategy, communication plan andeducational website for employees. Since the program is designedspecifically for this market, employers benefit from targetedmaterials that are relevant to their employee population.

Key features include: preventive screening services withindustry-leading accuracy; health coaches who employees can contactto discuss their wellness and online wellness portal designed tomeet individual employee needs.

“Keeping employees healthy makes good business sense, which iswhy we work with our customers to not only improve the health oftheir employees, but also to support a healthier bottom line forthe business,” Dukes says.