Do Workplace Wellness Programs Really Improve Worker’s Health?

Workplace wellness programs have been around for more than a couple decades, but there is a surprising lack of empirical evidence that they achieve their stated goals.  Most any kind of programs that companies implement are evidence-based with statistics to back up the program performance.  For wellness programs there is scant evidence based information on whether they produced desired results.

Most of the data on wellness programs comes from the vendors who actually provide the programs and that data can be questionable and fraught with data gathering mistakes.  For example for weight loss programs they may show: weight changes only for those

participating in the program vs those who don’t; no before or after measurements to show changes based on the program vs other random variations; no analysis for workers who may have regained weight after the program; reporting average weight loss per those who lost weight, but not disclosing what actual percentage of employees lost weight, etc. It would seem that the wellness vendors want to report only successes, not failures.   

While the chief goal of a wellness program is to improve employee health, the companion

goal is to control healthcare spending. It is hard to get an accurate view of how well these programs work because many unsuccessful programs just aren’t reported.  However, these programs can work.  A study by Johns Hopkins provides evidence that when properly designed and implemented, a wellness program can add to the health and productivity of the employees and the profitability of the business. 

In addition, Johnson and Johnson has published dozens of studies showing their wellness programs have improved employee health, saved millions in health care costs and

enhanced employee productivity.  They designed their programs with the proper measurement and analysis as a starting point and continue throughout with smart collection and analysis of data. 

Without the data at hand, many companies pick and choose options for wellness programs blindly which can do a disservice to employees and their company.  In the end, you don’t necessarily need the latest fashion fitness wearable or new tennis shoes to start your program.  What you do need is sold analysis, data and the metrics necessary to prove the results on an ongoing basis

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