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Small Businesses Embrace Wellness to Help Retain Staffers

Associated Press

   NEW YORK - Every month, the 30 staffers at Chris Boehlke's public
   relations firm each get $100 to pay for anything that contributes to
   their wellness. And not just for typical expenditures like gym
   memberships or yoga classes.

   "You can get nails done, anything you feel is helping your overall well
   being," says Boehlke, co-owner of San Francisco-based Bospar. The
   company also has flex time and a generous time off policy including 17
   paid holidays each year.

   As a result, Boehlke says, the 5-year-old company has lost only two
   staffers.

   Many small business owners are starting wellness programs to help
   employees be healthier, happier and more likely to stay.

   Wellness efforts encompass a wide range of benefits and services,
   including gym subsidies, stipends for classes and activities and apps
   that help motivate staffers to exercise and take care of themselves.

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