Employers are increasingly taking a broader look at the health of their companies and viewing a wellness program as an important business strategy.

Those who have a wellness program say it is the right thing to do, produces happier employees, is a way to impact costs and allows benefits to be crafted to meet needs.

Nationwide, 81 percent of companies with 50 or more employees have some kind of wellness program, said Jessica Tarbell, corporate wellness director for the Greater Wichita YMCA, though it's impossible to know how extensive those programs are.

Locally, the interest in wellness programs has increased significantly in the past year or two, said Aaron Wells, employee benefits director at Willis of Greater Kansas, an insurance brokerage company.

A good wellness program goes beyond offering discounted gym memberships to employees.

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