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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more information on Ultimate Choice Inc.’s products or services or other white
papers please contact us at Ultimatechoiceinfo@cox.net
