Before a business should consider why a wellness program should be initiated, it should consider what may happen if it doesn't.

Just a few short years ago, health care costs for U.S. employers jumped 7 percent. In dollar terms, that translates into an average hike of $575 per employee, for an average total cost of $8,796 per employee, according to the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

The impact of an unhealthy work force is hard not only on employees, but on the company's bottom line. The Mayo Clinic recommends addressing and enumerating all of the health-related costs associated with unhealthy employees. Those include direct costs, such as outpatient care, pharmacy charges, inpatient care and emergency room visits; and they include indirect costs, such as short-term disability, workers' compensation, turnover, absenteeism and presenteeism.