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• Corporate Fitness

9 Corporate Wellness Case Studies to Get Inspired By

October 28, 2023

The following corporate wellness case studies provide compelling examples of how various organizations have successfully implemented employee wellness programs to drive business value. From multinational corporations to small businesses, each highlights quantifiable impacts like increased productivity, cost savings, and strategic advantages gained. Whether your goal is boosting the bottom line, enhancing culture, or improving recruitment and retention, these real-world success stories illustrate the ROI potential when prioritizing worker health and well-being.

Global enterprise software giant SAP serves as a prime example of how strategic investment in employee well-being can significantly impact business outcomes. By analyzing metrics from their HR platform, SAP was able to quantify clear links between engagement in wellness programs and key performance indicators.

Some of SAP’s initiatives included on-site medical care, fitness facilities, and mental health support resources for employees worldwide. Through tracking productivity, absenteeism, medical claims, and satisfaction surveys over time, they discovered workers participating in these programs demonstrated:

• 21% greater productivity levels
• Fewer sick days taken overall
• Higher reported job satisfaction

Just the cost savings from reduced absenteeism covered SAP’s entire well-being department budget. But factoring in elements like presenteeism and retention, their analysis estimated a 3:1 return on the investment in wellness. Healthcare costs also decreased as fewer staff utilized medical benefits.

Armed with data demonstrating a clear connection between well-being and financial performance, SAP has expanded these strategies globally. Their corporate wellness case studies study provides a compelling model for other companies seeking to link employee health to quantifiable business metrics like profitability and revenue. By prioritizing worker well-being, SAP strengthened both their talent and the bottom line.

2. Houston Methodist

Houston Methodist, a hospital network with seven locations throughout Houston, has implemented a fantastic corporate wellness program that has garnered attention and praise. The program uses Fitbits as the core of their wellness program, providing over 11,000 Fitbit devices to employees. This has led to excitement among employees from the very beginning of the program. Biometric screenings are also provided for staff to help them stay on top of their fitness goals.

The Fitbits allow employees to compete against one another for highest step counts. Houston Methodist has held competitions such as Battle of the Sexes, Beat the CEO, and drawings for big cash prizes for those who hit a certain step goal. Since implementing this program, Houston Methodist’s “Best Companies to Work For” Fortune ranking has gone up.

Janay Andrade, the director of employee benefits, says they are very proud of their Fortune rankings and the emphasis they have placed on employee wellness. With a focus on employee well-being, Houston Methodist has made strides in reducing absenteeism and stress management in the workplace. They have also provided apps for mental well-being, further emphasizing their commitment to employee wellness.

When it comes to corporate wellness, Google is known for its outstanding program. The company offers a wide range of wellness perks, including gym memberships, wellness consulting, nap rooms, and even Zumba classes. Google’s approach to wellness is holistic, focusing on both physical and mental health. Employees can take advantage of stress management workshops, counseling services, and meditation classes. The company also encourages employees to teach classes to other Google employees, allowing them to tap into their strengths. Additionally, Google recognizes the importance of flexible work arrangements and provides employees with the tools they need to achieve a better work-life balance.

4. Motley Fool

Motley Fool, a stock advising company, places a high priority on employee wellness. The Chief Wellness Fool, Sam Whiteside, implements various initiatives to promote wellness among employees. One of these initiatives is the monthly newsletter called The Flex , which highlights one employee nominated by their peers for excelling and inspiring others in the wellness category.

Whiteside also creates a different fitness challenge each month to keep employees engaged. For example, one challenge required staff to make one meeting a day an active meeting. This challenge encouraged employees to engage in pushup breaks during meetings or have walk-and-talk meetings.

Motley Fool also offers 50% reimbursement off of race entries, which motivates staff to run races together and spend time together off the clock. Whiteside assists employees in selecting races to enter and helps them train if they are new to running.

Motley Fool’s corporate wellness involvement is at an impressive 86%. Some of the wellness initiatives offered by Motley Fool include:

• Race entry reimbursement
• Monthly fitness challenges
• The Flex newsletter
• Assistance with race selection and training
• Camaraderie-building activities

Motley Fool’s holistic approach to wellness includes emotional well-being and confidential counseling services. The company encourages mindfulness and offers workshops on stress reduction . The lap pool and basketball court also provide opportunities for employees to achieve their fitness goals.

Motley Fool’s wellness initiatives have resulted in increased energy levels, improved morale, and reduced stress levels among employees. The company measures the success of their wellness program through metrics such as biometric screenings and participation in the weight loss challenge.

Zappos is known for its innovative approach to corporate wellness. In addition to offering traditional perks such as gym memberships and race reimbursements, they encourage employees to take charge of their own fitness. Wellness coordinator Kelly Maher believes that this is the key to success for any corporate wellness program.

One way that Zappos encourages employees to stay active is by organizing group activities such as golf lessons and trips to indoor trampoline parks. These are activities that employees may be interested in trying but may not do on their own.

Another unique wellness idea at Zappos is “Recess Tuesdays.” On Tuesdays, employees are free to go outside and use recess equipment such as basketballs, four square balls, and volleyballs. This encourages team spirit and a fun approach to fitness.

Zappos also offers incentives for employees who participate in fitness challenges and competitions . They have a chief wellness fool who organizes events and offers rewards for participation. Additionally, Zappos offers mental health resources to help employees manage anxiety and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Zappos has been recognized for its commitment to employee wellness, ranking #31 on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2019.

6. XYZ Corporation’s Yoga and Meditation Program for Senior Executives

As a senior executive, your work can be incredibly demanding and stressful. That’s why XYZ Corporation has implemented a yoga and meditation program specifically designed for senior executives like you. This program offers a variety of benefits that can help you manage stress, improve your health, and enhance your overall well-being.

The Benefits of Yoga and Meditation for Senior Executives

Yoga and meditation have been shown to have a variety of benefits for people of all ages and backgrounds. For senior executives, these benefits can be particularly important. Here are just a few of the benefits you can expect from participating in XYZ Corporation’s yoga and meditation program:

• Improved physical health: Yoga can help improve your flexibility, strength, and balance. This can be particularly important as you age and may be at risk for falls or other injuries.
• Reduced stress and anxiety: Meditation has been shown to be an effective way to reduce stress and anxiety. This can be particularly important for senior executives who may be dealing with high levels of stress on a daily basis.
• Increased mental clarity: Yoga and meditation can help you clear your mind and focus on the present moment. This can help you make better decisions and be more productive throughout the day.
• Better sleep: Yoga and meditation can help you relax and unwind, which can lead to better sleep at night. This can be particularly important for senior executives who may have trouble sleeping due to stress or other factors.

XYZ Corporation’s Yoga and Meditation Program

XYZ Corporation’s yoga and meditation program is designed specifically for senior executives. The program includes a variety of classes and workshops that are tailored to your needs and interests. Here are some of the key features of the program:

• Customized classes: The program includes customized yoga and meditation classes that are designed specifically for senior executives. These classes are led by experienced instructors who understand the unique needs and challenges of senior executives.
• On-site classes: The program includes on-site yoga and meditation classes that are held at your workplace. This makes it easy and convenient for you to participate in the program without having to leave the office.
• Online classes: The program also includes online yoga and meditation classes that you can participate in from anywhere. This is particularly important for senior executives who may travel frequently or work remotely.
• Workshops and retreats: The program includes workshops and retreats that are designed to help you deepen your yoga and meditation practice. These events are led by experienced instructors and offer a unique opportunity to connect with other senior executives who are interested in yoga and meditation.

Overall, XYZ Corporation’s yoga and meditation program for senior executives is a great way to improve your health, reduce stress, and enhance your overall well-being. By participating in this program, you’ll be able to take care of yourself and better manage the demands of your job. So why not give it a try? Your body and mind will thank you.

Corporate Wellness Case Studies Revealing the Power of Wellness for Small Business Owners and Their Teams

Mental well-being is crucial in today’s workplace. Issues like stress and burnout are leading causes of absenteeism, costing organizations productivity and profitability. As mental health-related leave increases, prioritizing employee wellness is paramount.

The following are anonymized case studies demonstrating how a well-being focused approach can dramatically benefit both individuals and business outcomes. They illustrate how assessing challenges holistically and fostering genuine connection between colleagues can resolve issues in a way that is supportive for all.

It is hoped these examples inspire readers to consider wellness strategies within their own organizations. Small changes to cultivate community and care for people’s whole selves can reap rewards at both micro and macro levels.

7. Case Study One: Problem Behavior, Valuable Worker

Business owner Maria experienced unresolved staff issues. Project manager Juan displayed problematic behavior when problems arose.

Juan’s identification of issues and solutions were usually accurate. The company valued his work, so there was no desire to end his contract. Often in difficult situations, some are too quick to terminate without exploring alternatives.

The wellness team discovered Juan felt isolated and like he didn’t belong. Juan would perceive situations as reinforcing his outsider story.

To further compound this, Juan felt he didn’t fit in with permanent employees who established the culture.

Research shows employees who do not fit norms will try to assimilate to avoid biases. This takes effort, which could be better spent on core duties.

The wellness team worked with Juan and Maria using yoga and fitness challenges. These improved Juan’s sense of belonging through connection with coworkers. Rapid improvement occurred thanks to commitment from all involved.

The change significantly motivated Maria to continually improve dynamics and results using similar wellness strategies. The company extended Juan’s contract when possible.

8. Case Study Two: Juan Thought He Was Fine

Juan realized he was arguing more frequently with his family at home and was becoming increasingly reactive to situations that likely didn’t warrant it. He struggled to have constructive conversations or maintain positive relationships with coworkers, and this spilled outside of work. Body aches and persistent headaches had also developed – clear signs of deep stress that Juan was ignoring.

However, Juan thought he was managing his stress levels well and that his behavior and experiences were normal. In reality, he was under extreme stress, a fact he didn’t comprehend until connecting with a workplace wellness coach.

After one week of focused awareness on how he reacted to situations and noticed stress levels, triggers, and emotions as they arose, Juan started to truly see a difference. By paying attention to his responses, he gained insight into how stressed he had become.

To mitigate his stress and improve workplace well-being and relationships, Juan also practiced visualization techniques similar to those used by athletes, especially for conversations. This created new neural pathways in his brain. From there, Juan began interacting differently – through better discussions, decisions, and significantly reduced stress impacting all areas of his life, not just his job.

9. Welcoming All Contract Workers

It’s easy to overlook both temporary employees and independent contractors due to their limited engagements. However, they are valuable members who contribute while on assignments.

Incorporating contract workers genuinely through fostering connection promotes long-term organizational success. As Dr. Smith notes, daily interactions are important for allowing human relationships, not just planned events.

Virtual wellness programs can help when in-person interactions are challenging. Activities provide a way for both temps and contractors to remotely build rapport. Whether employees or independent, feelings of community impact retention, productivity and mental health.

Research shows isolated workers are less engaged and more at risk for loneliness. By treating all contract workers with care and consideration, businesses can help address wider societal issues. Programs welcoming both temporary staff and independent contractors signal they are important parts of the team during assignments. This inclusive approach enhances excellence through a supported, engaged workforce.

Are you looking to implement an effective wellness initiative for your organization but lack internal expertise? As a leader in corporate fitness solutions, Type A Training of NYC custom designs programs that drive real business impact.

Whether you need help launching your first program or optimizing an existing one, Type A Training delivers tailored options and ongoing support to achieve your wellness goals. Contact us today to discuss how we can develop a fitness solution perfectly suited for your company’s unique needs and culture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some key elements of successful corporate wellness programs.

Successful corporate wellness programs typically include a variety of elements that address the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of employees. Some key elements include:

• Health screenings and assessments
• Fitness and exercise programs
• Nutritional education and resources
• Stress management and mental health support
• Incentives and rewards for healthy behaviors

How do corporate wellness programs benefit employees?

Corporate wellness programs can benefit employees in a number of ways, including:

• Improved physical health and fitness
• Reduced stress and improved mental health
• Increased job satisfaction and morale
• Greater work-life balance
• Opportunities for social connection and support

What are some examples of effective wellness programs in the workplace?

There are many companies that have implemented successful corporate wellness programs. Some examples include:

• TechCo, a leading technology company, implemented a holistic wellness program that encompassed various aspects of well-being, including physical fitness, mental health, and emotional well-being.
• Google offers a variety of wellness initiatives, including on-site fitness centers, healthy food options, and mindfulness and meditation programs.
• Houston Methodist, a healthcare system, offers a wellness program that includes health coaching, weight management programs, and fitness classes.

What are some potential challenges in implementing a corporate wellness program?

Implementing a corporate wellness program can present a number of challenges, including:

• Resistance from employees who are not interested in participating
• Finding the resources to fund and maintain the program
• Ensuring that the program is accessible and inclusive for all employees
• Measuring the success and effectiveness of the program

How can companies measure the success of their wellness programs?

Companies can measure the success of their wellness programs by tracking a variety of metrics, including:

• Employee participation rates
• Changes in health outcomes, such as weight loss or reduced blood pressure
• Employee satisfaction and engagement
• Reductions in healthcare costs and absenteeism

What are some best practices for designing a corporate wellness program?

Some best practices for designing a corporate wellness program include:

• Conducting a needs assessment to determine the specific health and wellness needs of employees
• Creating a program that is tailored to the unique needs and interests of the workforce
• Providing incentives and rewards for participation and healthy behaviors
• Ensuring that the program is inclusive and accessible to all employees

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How to Build Your Workplace Wellness Program

Poor physical, mental, emotional, and social wellness in the working environment results in billions of lost profits for businesses and struggling and suffering employees on a global scale (Gallup, 2023; Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2021).

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Focusing on workplace wellness policies, strategies, and initiatives can move employees from functioning and flailing to flourishing (McQuaid & Kern, 2018).

This article explores developing and implementing workplace wellness programs that benefit both employers and employees.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Work & Career Coaching Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients identify opportunities for professional growth and create a more meaningful career.

This Article Contains

What is workplace wellness 15 examples, developing your work wellness program, 11 topics and tips for your workshops, 10 creative ideas for your program, implementing your initiatives: 4 strategies, 5 helpful worksheets and activities.

• 6 Common Challenges & Solutions

Resources From PositivePsychology.com

A take-home message, frequently asked questions.

Workplace wellness can be described as our “ability to feel good and function effectively” in the working environment (McQuaid & Kern, 2018, p. 11). Also described as workplace wellbeing , it offers the resources needed to navigate the highs and lows of our professional lives and feel good “physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, and socially” (McQuaid & Kern, 2018, p. 11).

Such high levels of wellness and being able to achieve what we want at work have many positive outcomes, including (McQuaid & Kern, 2018):

• Improved resilience and energy
• Better health and happiness
• Boosted social connectivity
• Increased productivity and income

Sadly, rather than experiencing flourishing at work and outside, many of us are simply trying to get by or survive (McQuaid & Kern, 2018).

So, what initiatives are companies putting in place to support workplace wellness?

According to industry experts such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2021), Forbes Human Resources Council (2020), and Gallup (2023), forward-thinking companies create targeted strategies encompassing physical, mental, emotional, and social aspects of employees’ lives.

Physical wellbeing

• Fitness incentives In-house gyms and partnerships with local fitness clubs
• Nutritious offerings A canteen, restaurant, and breakroom providing healthy snacks and lunches focused on balanced meals
• Health checkpoints Routine health screenings emphasizing the importance of proactive health measures

Mental resilience

• Mental health support Supporting emotional wellbeing by providing access to counseling and dedicated mental health days
• Stress busters Workshops and programs equipping employees with tools to handle stress in the workplace

Flexible operations

• Remote work Allowing employees the flexibility to work remotely when feasible
• Flexible scheduling Allowing employees to choose their optimal working hours

Social cohesion

• Collaborative initiatives Organizing team-building exercises or outings that boost camaraderie and develop team dynamics
• Community outreach Arranging volunteering opportunities that promote employee wellbeing and community development.

Growth pathways

• Ongoing education Ensuring access to continuous learning platforms and reimbursement for external courses
• Mentorship chains Implementing mentor–mentee systems where seasoned professionals guide newer employees

Safety protocols

• Regular safety training Ensuring employees are continually updated on best practices for workplace safety
• Encourage reporting Setting up robust whistleblower mechanisms that ensure employees can voice concerns without fear

Comprehensive benefits

• Health care packages Providing comprehensive health insurance packages
• Financial literacy Organizing workshops on financial wellness to ensure employees are equipped to handle their finances efficiently and effectively

Workplace wellness should not just be a corporate buzzword. When backed by senior management, it’s a tangible strategy that can foster a motivated, healthy, and high-performing workforce (Gallup, 2023).

This video explores several critical components of wellness in the workplace.

Developing a workplace wellness program typically begins by building a compelling case for leaders for why investing in workplace wellness is more than a nice-to-have; it is essential (Putnam, 2015).

Define a business case

Strategies for building a case include the following (Putnam, 2015):

• Focus on costs beneath the surface. For example, what is the financial impact of absenteeism?
• Identify the value proposition. How would a thriving culture impact workplace performance and employee retention ?
• Understand organizational and employee needs. Recognize that needs differ.

A marketing company requires innovative and engaged employees; a risk management operation needs staff members that feel psychologically safe to speak out; and a leadership team wants top performers who are deeply engaged in their teams and are resilient.

So, how do we clearly define the needs of the organization and the employee?

• Make it emotional and logical. Show that workplace wellness is about doing the right thing (emotional) and supports staff and organizational performance (logical).

Next, it is vital to understand and share the “why” behind the wellness movement.

Create a vision

It is essential to capture the vision of a workplace where everyone is capable and has the opportunity and motivation to be their best selves (McQuaid & Kern, 2018; Putnam, 2015).

How could the workplace become a place where employees want to come, are treated like members of an exclusive club, achieve their ambitions, feel cared for and valued, and build deep, meaningful relationships (Rishi et al., 2021)?

With a vision clearly defined, it is time to create the program with input from across the organization.

Build the work wellness program

Collaborate with a diverse, cross-functional team to build the wellness program, creating company-wide strategies rather than isolated, localized initiatives.

Develop a distinctive brand identity for the program backed by a comprehensive marketing approach that promotes positive organizational change .

Next, define a plan to ensure that change is well thought out, successfully implemented, and clearly communicated. And ensure success is measurable (McQuaid & Kern, 2018; Putnam, 2015).

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While there are many approaches to workplace wellness, the following five pillars are helpful topics for wellbeing workshops to cover (Putnam, 2015; McQuaid & Kern, 2018).

1. Physical health and wellness

Healthy eating and exercise are essential for wellbeing. Education on what makes up a good diet, such as reducing the intake of processed foods and a good combination of healthy fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, can be life changing. Also, while exercise is essential, it should be supported by incidental movement throughout the day (Putnam, 2015).

2. Emotional and mental health

Emotional wellbeing is closely aligned with resiliency — the ability to rebound and recover from difficult times. Focusing on all aspects of the PERMA model (positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships , meaning, and achievement) can help make wellbeing a habit (McQuaid & Kern, 2018).

3. Financial health

Effectively managing financial resources can help individuals feel safe and secure. Workshops can support learning how to be smart with money and spend wisely. When our personal financial needs are satisfied, we benefit from diverting our energies to other areas of our wellbeing, such as forming and maintaining relationships (Putnam, 2015).

4. Sustainable health

Mental and physical wellness is not something that happens as a one-off. Instead, we must embed it in how we live, in the everyday habits we form, and in a healthy outlook; for example, choosing water and healthy juices over soda and taking the stairs rather than stepping into the elevator (Miller et al., 2018).

5. Family health

Maintaining a healthy work–life balance supports mental wellbeing and fosters stronger relationships outside of work. Some organizations encourage bringing family members to wellness workshops and events to support a broader wellness culture (Putnam, 2015).

The following tips foster an effective wellness workshop (Lowe, 2023).

• Set clear objectives Define specific goals and objectives for your wellness workshop to ensure participants know what to expect and what they can gain from it.
• Engage participants Encourage active participation and engagement throughout the workshop using interactive activities, discussions, and group exercises.
• Choose relevant topics Select wellness topics relevant to your audience and address their needs and interests.
• Create a positive environment Foster a welcoming and safe atmosphere where participants feel comfortable sharing and learning.
• Provide resources Offer helpful resources, handouts, and materials that support participants in their wellness journey beyond the workshop.
• Gather feedback After the workshop, collect feedback from participants, assess the program’s effectiveness, and make improvements for future seminars.

Check out the Eight Dimensions of Wellness video to learn more about the vital principles involved in workplace wellness.

Trying more unusual and creative approaches to workplace wellness can help employees move out of their comfort zones and engage with colleagues and ideas central to the wellness program (Workhuman, 2023; Robinson, 2023).

• Virtual nature walks Organize virtual nature walks where employees can connect with nature through online videos or virtual reality experiences.
• Gratitude journaling Encourage employees to keep gratitude journals to promote a positive mindset and reflection.
• Art therapy workshops Host workshops where employees can express themselves creatively using art therapy .
• Virtual team challenges Create friendly team challenges that promote camaraderie and healthy competition, even in remote work settings.
• Emotional intelligence training Provide training on emotional intelligence to help employees understand and manage their feelings effectively, develop empathy, and improve communication with internal and external clients.
• Virtual coffee chats Encourage employees to have virtual coffee chats with colleagues to maintain social connections.
• Online book club Start a mental wellness book club to foster learning and discussion around wellbeing.
• Random acts of kindness day Dedicate a day to performing random acts of kindness at work and in an employee’s personal life.
• Laughter yoga Organize laughter yoga sessions to boost mood and reduce stress through laughter.
• Mental health resource hub Create a resource hub with articles, videos, and tips related to mental health for employees to access.

In this fascinating video from Johns Hopkins University, Ron Goetzel introduces three companies that have created cultures of workplace wellness.

Workplace wellness should not be compartmentalized and cut off from other aspects of the business (Putnam, 2015).

Successful wellness initiatives must be interdisciplinary and cross-functional; department silos must be ignored or at least overcome. Strategies to ensure an effective implementation include (Putnam, 2015; Boniwell et al., 2021; McQuaid & Kern, 2018):

• Building a diverse implementation team Identify, engage with, and involve key staff from across the business.
• Maintain buy-in at all levels Keep communicating and engaging with staff to ensure multi-level support, with no one left feeling excluded. All voices must be heard and given equal consideration.
• Embed the initiatives Don’t fight existing structures; use them. Embed wellness initiatives in the organizational initiatives that are already in place, including:
• Staff meetings
• Staff development plans
• Leadership development
• Management training
• Team development initiatives
• Organizational development
• Product review meetings
• Q&A sessions with leadership
• Innovation initiatives
• Community outreach
• Make it last Ensure initiatives are sustainable and enduring.
• Form deep connections between the needs of the individual and the organization.
• Use nudges and cues to ensure the transformation is achievable and does not create resistance.
• Encourage a growth mindset, framing change as an opportunity rather than an obstacle to overcome.

Ultimately, for workplace wellness initiatives to be successful, they must be easy to embrace and their impact on performance, energy levels, and health understood and believed (McQuaid & Kern, 2018).

• What are you good at?
• What do you love to do?
• What does the world need?
• What do you (the organization) need from the market?
• Workplace Mindfulness Mindfulness is a powerful way of adopting a state of loving-kindness to ourselves and others and significantly benefits how we handle stress at work.
• Returning to Work Checklist Use this questionnaire to reflect on skills gained inside and outside the workplace when rejoining the workforce.
• Performing an Avoidance Stocktake Employee stress can damage performance and wellbeing. Reflect on its causes and when using unhelpful avoidance strategies.
• STOP– Distress Tolerance The STOP acronym offers a helpful tool for handling challenging emotions in the workplace and beyond.

6 Common Challenges & Solutions

According to wellness consultant Laura Putnam (2015), developing and delivering a wellness movement is not for the faint hearted. Transformation takes agents of change ready to face and overcome many challenges and find bold solutions.

Common obstacles and approaches to overcome them include (Putnam, 2015):

• Lack of buy-in from decision-makers It is essential to win the support of those at the top by helping them see and understand the value of investing in employee wellbeing. This might include highlighting lost hours because of stress or illness, poor performance resulting from lack of engagement, or the expense of high employee turnover.
• Management involvement Beyond receiving buy-in, ensure managers visibly participate as champions and participants.
• Employee engagement Create conditions and environments where it is easy for staff to connect with the wellness program. Provide the time and opportunity to become involved in active employee engagement .
• Culture Slowly build a healthy, vibrant culture where adopting wellness policies and strategies is the norm and taking part is seen as OK.
• Accountability It must be clear that the organization and employees are both accountable. Create an environment where there is the capability, opportunity, and motivation to become involved and fully engaged.
• Changing behavior Behavior change typically begins small. Wellbeing habits may start by swapping unhealthy snack machines with more nutritionally balanced options and encouraging staff to always take a lunchtime break, perhaps engaging in in-house fitness or mindfulness activities.

Those leading a workplace wellness program within an organization must be clear on why they are doing so and become great communicators (Putnam, 2015).

We have many resources available for workplace coaches and counselors supporting employees.

A great topic for a wellness workshop is positive relationships. Our Positive Relationships Masterclass© includes all the tools you need to present science-based relationship training. It includes hands-on tools such as presentation slides, videos, and exercises. After taking this course, you’ll be able to help people build supportive workplace relationships and establish a framework for lasting behavioral change.

In addition to this masterclass, our Positive Psychology Toolkit© contains over 400 activities, exercises, and interventions created by a team of experts. Many of these tools will be suitable to improving wellness at work, and two are described briefly below.

• Achievement story Reflecting on past successes and considering how best to share them promotes recognition.

Ask the client to try out the following steps to work on their achievement stories:

• Step one – Reflect on a previous accomplishment.
• Step two – Identify the actions that were necessary for success.
• Step three – Highlight the essential skills involved.
• Step four – Summarize the achievements and steps into a three- or four-line paragraph. Then, learn it.

This story and others like it will be easy to share in interviews or when called upon to discuss successes.

• Career deal breakers While we all face career-related decisions throughout our lives, making considered choices can be challenging and overwhelming, affecting workplace wellness.

Before considering career options, define the parameters, conditions, and limitations that make them acceptable or unacceptable.

• Step one – What are the essential factors in your career?
• Step two – Which ones are nonnegotiable — deal breakers?
• Step three – What does each one tell you about what is important to you in your career?
• Step four – How could you consider these deal breakers more clearly in your career?

The answers should help your clients clarify what matters and how they maintain workplace balance.

You can access these comprehensive tools with a subscription to the Positive Psychology Toolkit© .

If you’re not quite ready to sign up for access to over 400 tools, consider this collection of 17 validated work and career tools to help others with their work and career . Use them to help others find more meaning and satisfaction in their work.

Employers have an opportunity and a responsibility to create workplace wellness programs that continue to adapt to the needs of their staff and support their mental and physical wellbeing (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2021).

Forward-thinking companies can boost the mental, emotional, and social aspects of employees’ lives through strategies that include fitness incentives, mental health support, remote and flexible working, online and safety training, and comprehensive health care packages.

A strategic workplace wellness program begins with a business case and a vision that recognizes the needs of the employees and the company. It seeks support and buy-in at all levels and across the organization.

A cross-functional team is required to ensure policies, strategies, and programs are well thought out and achieved through a planned, targeted, and managed roll-out.

As mental health professionals, we are in a vital position to provide support and knowledge to ensure that such programs are appropriate, adaptable, and ultimately sustainable.

Why not build your workplace wellness program using some of the approaches described in this article, adopting many of the exercises, activities, and interventions we offer to improve employees’ lives and help them reach their highest potential?

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Work & Career Coaching Exercises for free .

Proven strategies to help achieve wellness at work include workshops targeting mental, physical, and financial health; fitness incentives such as partnering with local gyms and clubs; health screenings; dedicated mental health support; remote and flexible working; mentoring; and comprehensive health insurance (McQuaid & Kern, 2018; Putnam, 2015).

Workplace wellness initiatives must be specific to the needs of the employees and their situation. Areas of focus typically include (Putnam, 2015):

• Physical health and wellness, such as encouraging balanced diets and regular exercise
• Emotional and mental fitness, including focusing on positive emotions, engagement, and building healthy relationships
• Financial health, including sharing learnings regarding being smart with money
• Supporting and maintaining wellness in the employees family

A successful workplace wellness program can be identified by reduced employee turnover, lower absenteeism, high employee satisfaction and engagement, and a notable increase in initiative participation. Perhaps more than anything, a program is truly successful when the conversation of mental health challenges has been normalized in the workplace (Jones et al., 2018; Greenwood & Anas, 2021).

• Boniwell, I., Green, S., & Smith, W. A. (2021). Positive psychology coaching in the workplace . Springer.
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• Forbes. (2020). Council post: 12 employee wellness initiatives that actually help . Retrieved October 9, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2020/03/27/12-employee-wellness-initiatives-that-actually-help/.
• Gallup. (2023). Employee wellbeing is key for workplace productivity . Retrieved October 9, 2023, from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/215924/well-being.aspx.
• Greenwood, K., & Anas, J. (2021). It’s a new era for mental health at work . Harvard Business Review. Retrieved October 9, 2023, from https://hbr.org/2021/10/its-a-new-era-for-mental-health-at-work.
• Jones, D., Molitor, D., & Reif, J. (2018). What do workplace wellness programs do? Evidence from the Illinois workplace wellness study. The Quarterly Journal of Economics , 134 (4), 1747–1791.
• Lowe, T. (2023, July 25). 6 essential tips to run a successful employee workshop . Loving Life. Retrieved October 9, 2023, from https://lovinglifeco.com/employee-wellbeing/6-essential-tips-to-run-a-successful-employee-workshop/.
• McQuaid, M., & Kern, P. (2018). Your wellbeing blueprint: Feeling good and doing well at work . Author.
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• Workhuman. (2023, March 14). 12 employee wellness ideas for the workplace . Retrieved October 9, 2023, from https://www.workhuman.com/blog/wellness-ideas/.

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Workplace Wellness Programs Study

Short abstract.

This article investigates the characteristics of workplace wellness programs, their prevalence, their impact on employee health and medical cost, facilitators of their success, and the role of incentives in such programs.

This article investigates the characteristics of workplace wellness programs, their prevalence, their impact on employee health and medical cost, facilitators of their success, and the role of incentives in such programs. The authors employ four data collection and analysis streams: a review of the scientific and trade literature, a national survey of employers, a longitudinal analysis of medical claims and wellness program data from a sample of employers, and five case studies of existing wellness programs in a diverse set of employers to gauge the effectiveness of wellness programs and employees' and employers' experiences.

Over the last several decades, an epidemic of “lifestyle diseases” has developed in the United States: Unhealthy lifestyles, such as inactivity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and frequent alcohol consumption, are driving up the prevalence of chronic disease, such as diabetes, heart disease, and chronic pulmonary conditions. These chronic conditions have become a major burden, as they lead to decreased quality of life, premature death and disability, and increased health care cost. Furthermore, although chronic disease was once thought to be a problem of older age groups, there is a shift toward onset during Americans' working age that adds to the economic burden, because of illness-related loss of productivity due to absence from work (absenteeism) and reduced performance while at work (presenteeism).

Out of concern about the impact of chronic disease on employee health and well-being, the cost of health care coverage, and competitiveness, employers are adopting health promotion and disease prevention strategies, commonly referred to as workplace wellness programs. Disease prevention programs aim either to prevent the onset of diseases (primary prevention) or to diagnose and treat disease at an early stage before complications occur (secondary prevention). Primary prevention addresses health-related behaviors and risk factors—for example, by encouraging a diet with lower fat and caloric content to prevent the onset of diabetes mellitus. Secondary prevention attempts to improve disease control—for example, by promoting medication adherence for patients with asthma to avoid symptom exacerbations that can lead to hospitalization. Health promotion is related to disease prevention in that it aims at fostering better health through behavior change. A broad range of benefits are offered under the label “workplace wellness,” from multi-component programs to single interventions, and benefits can be offered by employers directly, through a vendor, group health plans, or a combination of both.

Workplace wellness takes advantage of employers' access to employees at an age when interventions can still change their long-term health trajectory. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act) supports this trend with several provisions regarding health promotion and also mandated this study.

Study Objectives and Research Approach

This article addresses the requirements of 2705(m)(1) of the Public Health Service Act and answers the following research questions:

• What are the characteristics and prevalence of current workplace wellness programs?
• What is the evidence for program impact?
• What is the role of incentives under wellness programs?
• What are key facilitators of successful wellness programs?

The project has four data collection and analysis streams:

• a review of the scientific and trade literature to identify the prevalence of wellness programs, their key components, their use of incentives, their effectiveness, their return on investment, and best practices.
• the RAND Employer Survey, a national survey of employers with at least 50 employees in the public and private sectors, including federal and state agencies, to assess program prevalence, type of wellness programs, information on incentives, and perceived program impacts.
• statistical analyses of medical claims and wellness program data from a convenience sample of large employers in the Care Continuum Alliance (CCA) database to assess the effects of wellness programs on health and cost outcomes and the effect of incentives on program participation.
• five case studies of existing wellness programs in a diverse set of employers to enhance our understanding of the effectiveness of wellness programs by providing specific examples and experiences of individual employers and employees.

Characteristics and Prevalence of Workplace Wellness Programs

According to the RAND Employer Survey conducted for this study, approximately half of U.S. employers offer wellness promotion initiatives, and larger employers are more likely to have more complex wellness programs. Programs often include wellness screening activities to identify health risks and interventions to reduce risks and promote healthy lifestyles. Most employers (72 percent of those offering a wellness program) characterize their wellness programs as a combination of screening activities and interventions. Wellness benefits can be offered by employers or a vendor to all employees or through their group health plans to plan members.

Screening activities use Health Risk Assessments (HRAs), self-administered questionnaires on health-related behaviors (e.g., exercise patterns) and risk factors (e.g., body weight) and may include clinical screenings to collect biometric data—for instance, height, weight, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels. The RAND Employer Survey data suggest that 80 percent of employers with a wellness program screen their employees for health risks, and our case study results show that employers use results for program planning and evaluation and for directing employees to preventive interventions that address their health risks.

Preventive interventions can aim at primary prevention by targeting employees with risk factors for chronic disease (lifestyle management) and at secondary prevention by improving disease control in employees with manifest chronic conditions (disease management). As Figure 1 shows, lifestyle management programs, which are offered by 77 percent of employers with a wellness program, target a broad range of risk factors, though nearly 80 percent offer nutrition and weight activities and 77 percent of employers offer smoking cessation programs. Similarly, all five case study employers offered some form of nutrition and weight loss intervention, such as onsite Weight Watchers group meetings, weight loss competitions, personalized phone support from health coaches, and smoking cessation activities through educational programs or telephonic counseling.

Among Employers Offering a Lifestyle Management Program, Percentage Offering Specific Interventions

SOURCE: RAND Employer Survey, 2012.

NOTES: The graph represents information from employers with at least 50 employees that offer any lifestyle management intervention as a component of a wellness program. 51 percent of employers offer a wellness program, and 77 percent of those offer a lifestyle management intervention.

A wide variety of conditions is addressed through employer-sponsored disease management programs, as Figure 2 depicts: Disease management programs, which 56 percent of employers with wellness programs offer, most commonly target diabetes, followed by heart disease, chronic lung disorders, depression, and cancer.

Among Employers Offering a Disease Management Program, Percentage Offering Programs for Specific Chronic Conditions

NOTES: The graph represents information from employers with at least 50 employees that offer any disease management intervention as a component of a wellness program. 51 percent of employers offer a wellness program, and 56 percent of those offer a disease management intervention. COPD = chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Our survey results demonstrate that, in addition to those preventive interventions, employers offer health promotion activities (86 percent), such as on-site vaccinations, healthy food options, and other health and well-being related benefits (61 percent), such as Employee Assistance Plans and on-site clinics. Case study findings suggest that employers also use population-level strategies, like health-related campaigns and wellness events.

Evidence for Program Impact

Program uptake.

Our findings suggest that uptake of worksite wellness programs remains limited. According to the RAND Employer Survey, fewer than half of employees (46 percent) undergo clinical screening and/or complete an HRA, which are typically used to identify employees for interventions. Of those identified for an intervention based on screening results (for example, employees who report physical activity below their recommended level), a fifth or less chose to participate, as Figure 3 summarizes.

Average Participation Rates of Employees Identified for Inclusion in Select Wellness Program Components

NOTES: The graph represents information from employers with at least 50 employees that offer the specific component as part of a wellness program.

Program Impact on Health-Related Behaviors and Health Status

In an analysis of the CCA database, when comparing wellness program participants to statistically matched nonparticipants, we find statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements in exercise frequency, smoking behavior, and weight control, but not cholesterol control. Those improvements are sustainable over an observation period of four years, and our simulation analyses point to cumulative effects with ongoing program participation. However, we caution that our analyses cannot account for unobservable differences between program participants and nonparticipants, such as differential motivation to change behavior.

51 percent of employers offer a wellness program; of those, 65 percent conduct an HRA, 49 percent offer clinical screenings, 55 percent have a fitness program, 59 percent have smoking cessation programs, 49 percent have weight/obesity management, and 56 percent have disease management interventions. In most cases, all employees are invited to participate in screening activities, but eligibility to participate in lifestyle and disease management interventions are based on risk factors identified through screenings and health conditions identified through medical claims data, respectively. Rates reflect employees who were determined eligible for each program component.

The results show that one year participation in a weight control program is significantly associated with a reduction of body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2) of about 0.15 in the same year, and the effect persists for two subsequent years. As illustrated in Figure 4 , this change in the first three years corresponds to a weight loss of about 0.9 pound in an average woman of 165 pounds and five feet four inches in height, or about one pound in an average man of 195 pounds and five feet nine inches in height.

Effect of One-Year Participation in a Weight Control Program on Body Weight in an Average Person

SOURCE: RAND analysis of health plan claims and screening and wellness program data in the CCA database, including 2005–2010 data from four employers and 3,924 propensity score matched pairs.

NOTES: The effects of program participation were translated to body weight reductions based on an average adult in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the average adult female is 63.8 inches tall and weighs 164.7 pounds; the corresponding numbers for an adult male are 69.4 inches and 194.7 pounds.

*p < 0.05; **p < 0.01.

The published literature, the results presented here, and our case studies corroborate the finding of positive effects of worksite wellness programs on health-related behavior and health risks among program participants. For example, a systematic review found that workplace interventions promoting smoking cessation, such as group and individual counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, increased smoking cessation rates compared to the control group. Other studies showed improvements in physical activity, higher fruit and vegetable consumption, and lower fat intake as well as a reduction in body weight, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure. One case study employer determined that roughly half of wellness program participants reported positive changes in their walking activities and eating habits, and a quarter of participants reported getting closer to a healthy weight.

Health Care Cost and Utilization

In the RAND Employer Survey, employers overwhelmingly expressed confidence that workplace wellness programs reduce medical cost, absenteeism, and health-related productivity losses. But at the same time, only about half stated that they have evaluated program impacts formally and only 2 percent reported actual savings estimates. Similarly, none of our five case study employers had conducted a formal evaluation of their programs on cost; only one employer had requested an assessment of cost trends from its health plan. Our statistical analyses suggest that participation in a wellness program over five years is associated with a trend toward lower health care costs and decreasing health care use. We estimate the average annual difference to be $157, but the change is not statistically significant ( Figure 5 ). *

Estimated Cumulative Effect of Wellness Program Participation on Total Monthly Medical Costs

SOURCE: RAND analysis of health plan claims and screening and wellness program data in the CCA database.

NOTES: Simulation results are based on continuous participation in 2006–2010 of a population with the average characteristics of the estimation sample; p > 0.05 for all years in 2006–2010. CL = confidence interval.

Role of Incentives in Workplace Wellness Programs

Regulations on the use of incentives in workplace wellness programs.

A number of laws and regulations at the federal and state level impose requirements and regulate the use of financial incentives in certain types of wellness programs. With respect to certain employment-based wellness programs requiring that individuals satisfy health-related standards, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Affordable Care Act, among other things, limit incentives and require the availability of a reasonable alternative standard for certain wellness programs if for an individual it is medically inadvisable to, or it is unreasonably difficult to, achieve the standard. The Affordable Care Act raises the permissible limit on incentives for achieving a health-related standard from the prior limit of 20 percent of the cost of coverage to 30 percent in 2014. In addition, final rules being contemporaneously published at the time of this article ** allow employers with wellness programs designed to prevent or reduce tobacco use to charge tobacco users up to 50 percent more in premiums than nonusers ( Federal Register , 2012 ).

Incentives may be provided in various forms, such as premium discounts, waivers of cost-sharing requirements, or improved benefits. However, incentives that require employees to meet a health-related standard, such as target body weight, may not exceed these limits when administered by an employer's group health plan, irrespective of whether the incentives take the form of a reward, a penalty, or a combination of both. Incentives that are not tied to a health-related standard, such as participation in a diagnostic testing program, are not held to these incentive limits, so long as the incentive is available to all similarly situated individuals, and comply with other applicable federal laws, such as the Genetic Information and Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and state laws.

Overall Use and Administration of Incentives

The RAND Employer Survey results indicate that nationally, more than two-thirds of employers (69 percent) with at least 50 employees and workplace wellness programs use financial incentives to encourage program uptake, and 10 percent use incentives that are tied to health-related standards. About half of employers (49 percent) with wellness programs offer incentives directly to all employees, *** whereas 31 percent administer them through their group health plans. A fifth of employers (20 percent) administer incentives both directly and through their plans. Larger employers are more likely than smaller employers to administer their incentive schemes themselves.

We also find that results-based incentives are more commonly administered by the employer directly rather than through the health plan and linked to health coverage. According to the RAND Employer Survey, about 7 percent of employers that offer wellness programs reported administering results-based incentives through their health plans ( Figure 6 ). The average amount of results-based incentives for these employers was less than 10 percent of the total cost of health coverage, far from the current regulatory threshold.

Percentage of Employers with Wellness Programs Using Participation and Results-Based Incentives for Selected Health Behaviors

NOTES: The graph represents information from employers with at least 50 employees with wellness programs or which offer lifestyle management as a component of a wellness program. 51 percent of employers offer a wellness program, and 77 percent of those have lifestyle management. Among employers with a lifestyle management intervention, 77 percent offer programs that target smoking, 79 percent target weight management, and 72 percent offer fitness programs.

Incentives for Participation in Screenings and Interventions

According to the RAND Employer Survey, the most common types of incentive triggers are HRA completion and participation in lifestyle management interventions; each is offered by about 30 percent of employers with a wellness program.

Incentives are typically framed as rewards, with 84 percent of employers reportedly using rewards rather than penalties. Incentives are offered in financial form (e.g., cash or health insurance premium surcharges) and novelty items (e.g., t-shirts or gift cards). Novelty items were used by nearly half of all employers who offer any incentives. Gym discounts (42 percent) and cash incentives (21 percent) were cited as common ways to reward program participants and/or health-related behaviors. Four out of five employers in our case studies reported using some form of financial incentive, and all five employers used novelties (e.g., t-shirts, tickets to events, and coffee mugs) as a strategy to engage employees (see Table 1 )

Percentage of Employers That Offer Monetary Incentives to Encourage Participation in Wellness Activities

NOTE: The table represents the subset of employers with at least 50 employees that offer a wellness program (51 percent).

According to the RAND Employer Survey, employers use incentives to increase employee participation in wellness screening activities (31 percent for HRA completion and 20 percent for clinical screenings) and encourage employees to join intervention programs (30 percent for lifestyle management and 4 percent for disease management). Employers who use incentives for screening activities report significantly higher participation rates than those who do not (63 percent versus 29 percent for HRA completion and 57 percent versus 38 percent for clinical screenings).

Analysis of the CCA data indicates that incentives for HRA completion are effective, particularly above a threshold of $50. Using a simulation model, we find that the incentive amount for HRA completion had a significant effect on HRA completion rates. On average, we estimate that an increase in the HRA incentive by $10 is associated with a 1.6 percentage point increase in the HRA completion rate for incentives in the range of $0–$100.

Incentives for Changes in Behavior and Health Standards

Data from the RAND Employer Survey indicate that smoking cessation is the behavior that is primarily targeted with incentives tied to health standards. **** About a fifth of employers with smoking cessation programs (19 percent) reward actual smoking cessation, almost as many as those that reward program participation (21 percent). For other behaviors (e.g., diet), in contrast, employers were three to four times more likely to reward participation in programs than behavior change or outcomes.

Smoking is also the only health risk behavior for which achieving the goal is rewarded with a higher incentive than participation in a program. According to the RAND Employer Survey, the average incentive ($682, or 12.6% of cost of insurance coverage ***** ) paid for stopping tobacco use is more than triple the incentive paid for program participation ($203). Similarly, four out of five case study employers penalized smokers, but only two had incentives tied to other health standards. The peer-reviewed literature indicates that financial incentives may attract individuals to enroll or participate in smoking cessation programs and increase initial quit rates, but they generally do not achieve long-term behavior change ( Cahill and Perera, 2011 ; Osilla et al., 2012 ). Results from one randomized control trial found that large incentives (of up to $750 over the course of a year) were effective in improving abstinence rates, even when incentives were no longer offered ( Volpp et al., 2009 ). See Figure 7 .

Average Incentive Amounts to Target Select Health Behaviors Among Employers Offering Incentives

NOTES: The graph represents information from employers with at least 50 employees that offer a monetary incentive for participation in a lifestyle management intervention or for improving health behaviors. 51 percent of employers offer a wellness program, and 77 percent of those include a lifestyle management intervention. Among employers with lifestyle management interventions, 77 percent target smoking, 79 percent target weight and obesity, and 72 percent target fitness.

With respect to effectiveness, our analyses of employer data in the CCA database imply that incentives for HRA completion and program participation can significantly reduce weight and smoking rates and increase exercise. However the size of these effects is small and unlikely to be clinically meaningful. ******

Key Facilitators of Successful Wellness Programs

Five factors to promote wellness program success emerged from our case study analysis and the literature review:

• Effective communication strategies: All five organizations in our case studies employ strategies to communicate wellness program information to employees, ranging from face-to-face interaction to mass dissemination. Employers cited the importance of broad outreach and clear messaging from organizational leaders, especially for those organizations with a large and geographically dispersed workforce.
• Opportunity for employees to engage: Those included in the case study discussions revealed that making wellness activities convenient and easily accessible for all employees are strategies that employers use to raise the level of employee engagement. Some focus group participants cited limited access to wellness benefits because of wait times and rigid work schedules.
• Leadership engaged at all levels: Evidence from case studies suggests that for programs to be a success, senior managers need to consider wellness an organizational priority to shift the company culture. Buy-in from direct supervisors is crucial to generate excitement and connect employees to available resources.
• Use of existing resources and relationships: All organizations in our case studies leverage existing resources and build relationships, often with health plans, to expand offerings at little to no cost.
• Continuous evaluation: Organizations from our case studies approach wellness with a continuous quality improvement attitude. Though no employers from our case studies conducted formal evaluations, all five solicit feedback from staff with the goal of improving future wellness programming. Three employers conducted needs assessments to develop an understanding of the wellness needs of their workforce.

Conclusions

This project represents the most comprehensive analysis of worksite wellness programs to date and evaluates current program participation, program effects, and the role of incentives. Our project combined a literature review, a national survey of employers, case studies of workplace wellness programs, and statistical analyses of medical claims and program data to assess the current use of workplace wellness programs in the United States, to estimate the effect of programs on employee health and health care cost, and to evaluate the role of incentives in program engagement.

We find that that workplace wellness programs have emerged as a common employer-sponsored benefit that is now available at about half of U.S. employers with 50 or more employees, a group that employs three-quarters of the U.S. workforce. Large employers are more likely than small employees to offer a wellness program and also tend to offer programs with a greater variety of options. Most employers are committed to long-term support of wellness programs, regarding them as a viable strategy to contain health care costs, thereby ensuring the affordability of health coverage. In spite of their popularity among employers, the impact of wellness programs are rarely formally evaluated.

Evidence on Program Impact

Consistent with prior research, we find that lifestyle management interventions as part of workplace wellness programs can reduce risk factors, such as smoking, and increase healthy behaviors, such as exercise. We find that these effects are sustainable over time and clinically meaningful. This result is of critical importance, as it confirms that workplace wellness programs can help contain the current epidemic of lifestyle-related diseases, the main driver of premature morbidity and mortality as well as health care cost in the United States. An important question for further research is how program design and implementation can improve program effects.

Our estimates of wellness program effects on health care cost are lower than most results reported in the literature, but we caution that our approach estimated the isolated effect of lifestyle management interventions, whereas many published studies captured the effect of an employer's overall approach to health and wellness. Although we do not detect statistically significant decreases in cost and use of emergency department and hospital care, the trends in health care costs und use of high-cost care for program participants and nonparticipants diverge over time. Therefore, there is reason to believe that a reduction in direct medical costs would materialize if employees continued to participate in a wellness program. Lacking access to proprietary information on program cost, we could not estimate program effects on overall cost of coverage directly, but judging by published program cost data, the programs would be cost-neutral after five program years ( Baicker, Cutler, and Song, 2010 ).

Since limited employee engagement is regarded as an important obstacle to program success, employers are using incentives to increase employee engagement, as the RAND Employer Survey and other surveys suggest. Our statistical analyses show that incentives of over $50 appear effective in getting employees to complete an HRA. Although we cannot assess the effect of higher incentives systematically, as $100 was the maximum amount used by the employers in the CCA database, case study evidence suggests that larger incentives can be effective, such as the $50 per week that Employer D in our case studies used to achieve almost 100 percent participation in onsite clinical screenings. Modest incentives also seem to increase participation in and impact of lifestyle management programs.

The use of incentives tied to health standards remains uncommon. The RAND Employer Survey shows that nationally, only 10 percent of employers with 50 or more employees that offer a wellness program use any such incentives, and only 7 percent link the incentives to premiums for health coverage. For this subset, maximum incentive amounts average less than 10 percent of the employee premium for health care coverage. The one health risk factor for which results-based incentives are more common and involve higher amounts is smoking, as suggested by both the RAND Employer Survey and our case studies.

Limitations

We need to caution that our survey results may be subject to response bias, as some characteristics of respondents and nonrespondents differed significantly. Further, both the external and internal validity of the results based on the CCA data may be limited. The database represents a convenience sample of employers with long-standing commitment and substantial investment into wellness programs, implying that results may not be generalizable to all employers. As with any nonexperimental design, we cannot fully rule out that unobservable differences between program participants and nonparticipants have influenced our results. For example, differential motivation may have contributed to our estimated effect on health behaviors, such as exercise and smoking. Finally, the limited variation in incentive use among the employers in the CCA database prevents us from reaching definite conclusions regarding the effect of incentives on wellness program participation, health behaviors, and outcomes.

Opportunities for Future Research

This project represents the most comprehensive analysis of worksite wellness programs to date, and it evaluates current program participation, program impact, and the role of incentives. It also helps us to identify priority areas for future research:

• Long-term impact of wellness programs. Given the long latency between health risks and development of manifest chronic diseases, a much longer follow-up period will be required to fully capture the effect of worksite wellness programs on health outcomes and cost.
• Design of programs. Research is needed on program design features that are most likely to achieve wellness goals. Smoking cessation is an area where additional research could inform program development. A more granular look at different program components would provide valuable insights into the determinants of program success. For example, such analyses could compare the differential effects of modalities for program delivery (e.g., telephone, Internet, and in-person). Research into the relative impact of individual-level and workforce-level interventions could help to increase program efficiency.
• Impact on a broad range of measures. Future studies should look at a broader range of outcomes, in particular work-related outcomes and health-related quality of life. Work-related outcomes, such as absenteeism, productivity, and retention, are of critical importance to employers as they directly affect business performance.
• Contextual factors that modify program impact. Contextual factors will influence the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of workplace wellness interventions. Employer characteristics, such as workplace culture and leadership support, might modify the effect of wellness programs. Understanding the role of such modifying factors should be considered for future research. Similarly, we need to understand better how employee demographic characteristics drive decisions about program uptake and how those factors interact with financial incentives.
• Effect of financial incentives. “High-powered” incentives that tie a substantial proportion of the cost of coverage to specific health standards remain rare. Thus, comprehensive evaluation of the intended and unintended effects of such incentives and different incentive amounts may require a prospective or even experimental study. In addition, there is limited information on the differential impact of different incentive types (e.g., whether rewards have a different effect from penalties and whether premium reductions have a different effect from cash payments) and of changes in incentives over time.

* Our sample size implies that the study was adequately powered to detect an average annual change in health care cost of $378, which is well within the range of previously published estimates.

** The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury issued a Notice for Proposed Rulemaking regarding incentives for nondiscriminatory wellness programs in group health plans on November 26, 2012 ( Federal Register , 2012 ). Final rules regarding incentives for nondiscriminatory wellness programs in group health plans are being contemporaneously published with this article ( Federal Register , 2013 ).

*** HIPAA, wellness program rules, and the Affordable Care Act wellness program provisions relating to incentives for nondiscriminatory wellness programs apply with respect to incentives offered through both self-funded and insured group health plan coverage. Although Incentives that are not offered through group health plan coverage would not be subject to these requirements, other nondiscrimination and privacy laws may still apply with respect to employer practices relating to wellness programs operated outside the group health plan context.

**** To reduce the burden on respondents, the survey did not ask employers to specify in detail whether incentives are offered under their group health plans.

***** According to KFF/HRET (2011) , “The average premium for single coverage in 2011 is $452 per month or $5,429 per year.”

****** Based on the Framingham Heart Study general cardiovascular disease risk model (Framingham Heart Study, undated), the effects of an incentive of $100 on BMI and smoking translate to an avoidance of 11.5 cases cardiovascular disease per 10,000 population in male and 2.3 cases in female, over a ten-year period.

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Workplace Dynamics

The mixed evidence on workplace wellness programs, do wellness benefits really improve employee health.

Posted January 26, 2024 | Reviewed by Davia Sills

• A new, large study found that employee wellness benefits don't necessarily boost wellness among workers.
• However, earlier research shows some of these benefits do work.
• The answer likely lies in the specific details of the programs offered.

In addition to traditional benefits, such as health care coverage and 401(k) plans, employers across the globe are increasingly offering programs designed to boost employees’ mental health—free massages, mindfulness classes, online wellness apps, and more.

A new, large study conducted by a British researcher from the University of Oxford and published in the Industrial Relations Journal this month evaluated the results of 90 different employee wellness interventions to find out if they work. On the whole, he found they do not.

The study used data from Britain’s Healthiest Workplace survey, which was given to workers at 233 organizations in 2017 and 2018. It did not track well-being before and after a wellness intervention but instead reported well-being measures for employees who participated in wellness programs and their colleagues in the same organizations who did not.

It’s possible that the employees who chose to participate in the programs were less well to begin with. To account for this in the study, the researcher separately analyzed answers from employees who reported high stress levels and compared the results between those who participated in wellness programs and those who did not. Even with this analysis, he found no benefit to the interventions.

An interesting side note, the study did find one type of program that did significantly boost well-being: volunteering. The data showed that employees given the opportunity to volunteer through their workplace reported an increased sense of purpose, accomplishment, social resources, and recovery.

On the whole, the results from this study conflict with previous research establishing that workplace wellness programs are effective, including various systematic reviews, like this one and this one. For example, a 2022 study published in the Journal Network Open Journal found that workplace mental health programs reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety for nearly 70 percent of participants. The study followed more than 1,100 employees at 66 U.S. workplaces across the country for six months. Those who used the program also missed fewer days of work and reported higher productivity .

What’s going on here?

The answer is likely in the details. The latest study from Oxford evaluated a wide variety of wellness programs and combined them into broad groups, and many required less employee engagement on the whole. (For example, a mindfulness app requires less interaction than in-person therapy .) It also did not track employee wellness over time to look for improvements among individuals.

Conversely, the 2022 study evaluated a program that connected employees to therapy and medication management —an intervention that may be more effective than services like massages or online apps. And it followed participants before their treatment and for six months afterward.

The take-home message: There is conflicting evidence about the effectiveness of workplace wellness programs. The true answer might lie in the type of wellness program that is offered.

The Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research at Cornell University is focused on using research findings to improve health and well-being of people at all stages of life.

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Wellness: Case Studies

Five Best Practices for Workplace Wellness

At Dominion Resources, Power Is in a Healthy Workforce

From a Candy Culture to Health-Obsessed: A Wellness Convert's Tale

Labor/Management Collaboration Led to Wellness Success

Incentivizing Good Health: A Mid-Sized Firm's Success Story

Creating a Unified Wellness Program at Dover Corp.

Developing a Cutting-Edge Wellness Program at Lincoln Industries

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Corporate Wellness

Case studies: successful wellness programs in large corporations.

Case Studies: Successful Wellness Programs in Large Corporations ‍

In today's competitive business landscape, the health and wellness of employees have become paramount. Large corporations across various industries have turned to comprehensive wellness programs as a strategy to enhance employee productivity, reduce healthcare costs, and improve overall morale. This article delves into the successful wellness programs implemented by large corporations, highlighting key components and strategies that have led to remarkable outcomes in workplace health and productivity.

Understanding the Scope of Corporate Wellness Programs ‍

Wellness programs in large corporations are multifaceted initiatives designed to foster health and wellbeing among employees. These programs often encompass a range of activities including health education, medical screenings, weight management programs, on-site fitness programs or facilities, mental health resources, and support for lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking or improving diet.

Case Study Insights: Effective Wellness Strategies

Comprehensive health screenings and assessments ‍.

Many successful corporations begin their wellness programs with comprehensive health screenings. These assessments provide a baseline of the overall health status of the workforce and identify prevalent health risks. Personalized reports are generated for each employee to provide feedback on health risks and the benefits of participating in preventive programs.

Customized Wellness Plans ‍

Responding to the unique needs of their workforce, several large companies have implemented customized wellness plans. These plans offer a variety of targeted interventions based on the specific health profiles and preferences of employees. For example, employees at higher risk for cardiovascular diseases may receive special coaching and monitoring programs.

Engagement and Incentivization ‍

Engagement is critical to the success of any wellness program. Top-performing corporations have mastered the art of motivating participation through incentives such as bonuses, extra vacation days, premium reductions, and even simple rewards like gift cards. Effective communication strategies, such as regular newsletters, workshops, and interactive platforms, also play a crucial role in keeping employees engaged and informed.

Integration of Technology ‍

Leveraging technology has been a significant factor in the success of modern corporate wellness programs. Mobile apps, fitness trackers, and health monitoring devices enable employees to track their health metrics, participate in fitness challenges, and access wellness resources conveniently, which boosts continuous participation.

Supportive Environment and Culture ‍

The most successful wellness programs are those supported by a strong organizational culture that prioritizes health and wellness at every level of the organization. Leadership involvement and support are critical, as is the creation of a workplace environment that naturally encourages a healthy lifestyle, such as providing healthy food options in cafeterias and designing workspaces that encourage physical activity.

Challenges and Solutions ‍

Implementing a wellness program in a large corporation is not without challenges. Issues such as data privacy, varying employee needs, and ensuring long-term engagement are common. Addressing these challenges requires a robust framework that respects employee privacy, offers flexibility, and continuously evolves based on feedback and health trends.

Key Components of a Successful Corporate Wellness Program

• Leadership commitment to health and wellness
• Clear goals and measurable outcomes
• Comprehensive health assessments
• Personalized wellness initiatives
• Strong engagement strategies
• Use of technology to facilitate participation and monitoring
• A culture that supports and promotes health and wellness

In conclusion Wellness programs are vital investments that large corporations make towards the health and productivity of their workforce. The success stories outlined in this article reflect the profound impact of thoughtfully designed wellness initiatives.

For organizations looking to develop or enhance their wellness programs, expert guidance can make a significant difference. Global Healthcare Resources offers specialized wellness consulting to help corporations tailor and implement effective wellness strategies. Visit Global Healthcare Resources Wellness Consulting to learn more about how professional insights can transform your corporate wellness initiatives into a resounding success.

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Case Study: Land O'Lakes' Just-in-Time Emotional Well-being Programs for the Modern Workforce

Land O'Lakes, Inc., one of America's premier agribusiness and food companies, is a member-owned cooperative with industry-leading operations that span the spectrum from agricultural production to consumer foods. With 2020 annual sales of $14 billion, Land O'Lakes is one of the nation's largest cooperatives, ranking 232 on the Fortune 500. Building on a legacy of more than 100 years of operation, Land O'Lakes today operates some of the most respected brands and businesses in agriculture and food production including Land O’Lakes Dairy Foods, Purina Animal Nutrition, WinField United and Truterra, LLC. The company does business in all 50 states and more than 60 countries.

Land O'Lakes, Inc. headquartered in Arden Hills, Minnesota, has more than 150 locations with employees, many of whom live in rural communities and do not have access to a computer during the workday. This disbursed workforce can make it a challenge to communicate and educate employees on the wellness offerings provided by the Company. Land O’Lakes views employee health and wellbeing as core to the value proposition and ensuring education and engagement with these offerings is a priority for the organization and business success.

This case study represents one of the four finalist submissions for phase two of i4cp's 2021 Next Practice Awards. View other Next Practice Award case studies.

Business challenge

Land O’Lakes Wellness Program, LifeEvenBetter, has three pillars: Physical, Financial and Emotional Health. Since its launch in 2015, LifeEvenBetter has offered innovative resources and programs to support the wellness of employees and their families. After identifying stagnated and declining engagement, particularly outside of headquarters, and seeing certain health conditions continuing to surface in medical and disability claims, the team identified opportunities for more targeted support. A decision was made in 2019 to implement expanded support of the pillars within LifeEvenBetter, with solutions targeted at specific conditions and populations.

One area of need was the emotional wellbeing of employees and families. The traditional Employee Assistance Program (EAP) was not delivering engagement desired and not meeting specific and growing needs. Internal research indicated employees and families desired more mental health support easily accessed from anywhere. As a result of grass-roots efforts, benchmarking, and research within the industry, the support and offerings under the Emotional Pillar of LifeEvenBetter grew exponentially. Unbeknownst in 2019, was that not only a global pandemic was on the horizon, but nearly every corner of life was affected by the renewed social justice movement spurred by George Floyd’s murder and the rise in bias targeting Asian Americans. This led to additional strain on the emotional health of employees and families, making the timing of the wellness program additions unintentionally perfect. 

Solution – Scope & Innovation

Land O’Lakes set out to provide more robust support for the emotional health of employees and families. Not only was it time to find something much better than a traditional EAP, but to branch out into other offerings and ensure access was available across the enterprise, in even the most rural areas, including, and especially during the workday and at the moments when an employee or family member needed it.

The Company set out to find innovative mental health resources that employees could access anytime from anywhere leading to the introduction of new tools purposefully marketed via a variety of media:

• Onsite behavioral therapist:   A timely addition to the onsite wellness center, the behavioral therapist not only provides counseling to employees and dependents, but has created virtual support groups, allowing employees from across the country to attend. Specific virtual support group examples include the HR Call center, COVID Hotline, Veterans, Asian Americans, Parenting and Caregivers and workgroup specific support within the Company, such as member relations and navigating distance learning for kids.
• Meditation and Mindfulness: Employees and dependents have access to on-demand classes in meditation and mindfulness through the Company’s virtual fitness app vendor. Live, virtual meditation sessions are also offered intentionally during the workday and facilitated by an on-staff certified Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher.
• Treatment Decision Support: One new benefit partner can work with employees and dependents to answer questions and support medical treatment, including anxiety and depression.
• Mental Health First Aid: Recognizing that emotional wellbeing needs to be supported in the workplace, HR, First Responders, Security staff, Facilities, and member relations became certified “Mental Health First Aiders” who can help identify and support the emotional and mental health needs of employees and members. This offering began as a pilot with the member relations team who interface directly with farmers, many of whom suffer from high levels of stress, anxiety and depression.
• Underserved population support: The new “EAP” has therapists on staff that specialize in underserved populations such as LBGTQ+ and communities of color and offers specific support tools for employees and family members within these groups.
• Therapy and mental health coaching : Available via video, phone, text or in-person through the new “EAP”, counseling and coaching became more accessible. This flexibility allows for engagement even while at work. For example, an employee can “talk via text” or schedule a phone visit with a therapist before a shift or while on a break.  
• Self-paced online therapy: Self-paced online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is available to help with stress, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and substance abuse.
• Telehealth provider: Behavioral health support that employees can access from a mobile device or computer.
• Referrals: Employees and dependents can work with the new “EAP” as well as the Company’s third-party referral service to identify providers with high quality scores and proven outcomes in the areas of mental health.
• Workplace flexibility: Recognizing the impact on mental health & work life balance, flexible work arrangements were a part of the culture before COVID. This groundwork was reinforced and reimagined over the past 15+ months. A hybrid work model is commonplace with approximately 50% of time working in an office. Supervisors and employees have been empowered to align on effective hybrid work arrangements, supported by HR tools to explore position suitability, employee readiness, and guide managers new to virtual leadership.

Results & Impact

The outcomes for the programs demonstrate that we are meeting the needs of our employee base:

• Online Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program: 6% utilization (2% higher than Book of Business); More than 530 unique users in Q1 of 2021 alone; 73% of users enrolled in stress, anxiety, worry and depression programs
• New “EAP”: Double digit increase in new registrations quarter over quarter with 28% in Q1 of 2021; 79% sought care for stress, depression/sadness and anxiety; 82% of employees/dependents recovered or saw reliable clinical improvement; 95% satisfaction with care provided
• Virtual meditation: grown ten-fold since inception; and nearly ten separate work groups having offered meditation during the workday
• Onsite wellness center: 57% of visits in Q1 2021 were for behavioral health reasons
• Virtual support groups and 15 live mental health lunch & learns and ten recorded videos: total attendance in 2021: 350 employees & 1,000 views
• Mental & Behavioral Disorders in the top five reasons for Treatment Decision Support utilization

Statistics are one component of measuring success and engagement; however, employee and dependent feedback demonstrate the true value:

“ The appointment went well. I have a treatment plan now and a follow-up scheduled. Thanks so much for your help with all of this ” - Treatment Decision Support User for anxiety

“I thought it was a great session and very helpful to our team.  We plan to have sessions like this more frequently as they help our team deal with the stresses of work and work from home ” - Leader of workgroup with a focused support session with behavioral therapist

“ I want to say a big, big thank you for that incredible mediation experience. It was just amazing! I think I speak for the entire group when I say that it was such a needed and impactful 30 minutes. I can’t wait to start joining the meditation practices on Wednesday and Friday mornings. Thank you again. Your time with us was such a precious gift! ” - Participant virtual meditation session

The increased investment in emotional health resources has paid off more than anticipated. Interest and engagement continue to grow, employees and their families are now better served, and results surpass original goals set when decisions were made to increase mental health resources. Land O’Lakes continues to drive engagement for these resources through promotion, education, testimonials, integration & cross-referrals within the wellness ecosystem and connections into Employee Resource Groups.

Already in the works are support tools to aid with transitioning back to the workplace for those who have been remote during the pandemic: specific lunch & learns as well as support groups about anxiety and/or stress of returning to the workplace and a toolkit with resources for managers and employees. Additional workgroup specific mental health sessions and support groups are on the books with the behavioral therapist.

The success of these efforts has furthered engagement measured through formal employee surveys. Historically, engagement has hovered close to Best in Class; however, throughout the past 18 months, employee engagement scores trended even higher and exceeded Best in Class. These results were driven by senior leadership communication as well as support, flexibility and the company's prioritization of employee health and safety, including these mental health programs.

Click here for more resources related to i4cp's research on holistic well-being. 

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The true impact of workplace wellbeing: two case studies

Embedded Expertise, Published: January 29, 2020 - Updated: August 22, 2022

Mental health concerns are a leading cause of workplace absence , and as we see increasing incidents of mental health-related sick days, workplace wellbeing is paramount for both organisational and individual success.

Below I’ve written two real-life stories where bettering the wellbeing of a workplace can have dramatic effects on the individuals and business profitability itself. Hopefully this will inspire you to incorporate a wellness approach into your organisation or team, or take more notice of your own mental health.

Case study one: Michael thought he was fine

Michael* realised he was arguing a lot with his family at home and was becoming increasingly more reactive to situations that probably didn’t warrant it. He wasn’t terribly great at conducting conversations or maintaining relationships with coworkers and this spilled outside of work. Body aches and excessive headaches had also started to culminate: all obvious signs of deep stress that Michael was ignoring.

The thing is, he thought he was actually doing really well and managing his stress levels appropriately and that his behaviour and experiences were quite normal.

But in fact, he was suffering extreme levels of stress . Something he didn’t even comprehend until he connected with a workplace wellbeing expert and he had the opportunity to observe his behaviours.

After one week of dedicated and concentrated awareness on how he was reacting and experiencing situations and noticing stress levels, triggers and emotions as they arose, he started to really notice a difference.

‘After one week of dedicated and concentrated awareness… he started to really notice a difference.’

To mitigate his stress levels and improve his workplace wellbeing and relations, Michael also engaged in visualisations (similar to what athletes do ), particularly with conversations, which creates different pathways in the brain . From here he started acting differently, having better discussions and decisions and was significantly calmer everywhere throughout his life, not just in the workplace.

Case study two: bad behaviour, great worker

Company owner, Rajiv, was experiencing some staff problems that he’d tried to handle but wasn’t seeing any changes. One of his contract managers, Tom, was displaying bad behaviour whenever things would go wrong.

The thing was, it was abundantly clear that what Tom was saying and the problems that he identified were absolutely correct. And the company valued his hard work and how exceptional he was at his job, so there was no desire to terminate his contract early. Which can often be a case for difficult situations in the workplace— many people are too eager to throw the ‘baby out with the bathwater’ so to speak, rather than experiment with some alternative ways of reaching conflict resolution. Or even taking the time to discover what is really going on, stepping away from the ego and its primal behaviour of flight or fight mode.

After supportive discussions with Tom, the wellness team discovered that actually he felt isolated , alone and that he didn’t belong. And, because the mind seeks to confirm our beliefs (through confirmation bias), would create situations and replicate behaviour to further consolidate that belief. He was very caught up in his story that he was an outsider.

A sense of belonging

To further compound this position, Tom was contracted as part of a large project and he felt like he didn’t fit in with the permanent employees, who had established themselves in the internal culture.

Forbes states that, ‘Employees who do not naturally fit into established corporate norms will often times try to assimilate to those norms – or put themselves “on guard” – in order to avoid potential biases or discrimination.’ This can take considerable effort and energy, which could be better spent on a person’s core duties.

A sense of belonging in the workplace contributes greatly to retention and attraction of high-quality candidates, which leads to better productivity, outcomes, creative solutions and more profit. It can also result in 75 per cent fewer sick days and avoid millions of dollars’ worth of lost productivity.

‘A sense of belonging in the workplace contributes greatly to retention and attraction of high quality candidates…’

Fostering this sense of belonging ‘in the workplace makes employees engaged and produce work that is elevated above the ordinary…’.

Once identified, the workplace wellbeing team worked with Tom and Rajiv with proven techniques that involved awareness, cultural changes and compassion and saw rapid improvement within weeks, thanks in part to the commitment of the people involved.

The change was so significant that Rajiv was enthusiastic and hungry to find more ways in which he could change the dynamics to bring out better and better results within his company. The company also extended Tom’s contract when the opportunity became available.

Welcome contract workers too

It can be really easy to forget that contract staff are an integral part of your team, even if they are only on staff for a limited time. And it shouldn’t be a last minute or token effort.

‘… there needs to be a culture and allowance for people to connect as human beings. We shouldn’t need bonding or team leadership days to actually connect with our colleagues and make meaningful relationships ,’ says Dr Michelle Lim, a loneliness researcher and senior lecturer in clinical psychology at Swinburne University.

Incorporating contract workers as genuinely part of the team and treating them as well as you treat all employees will only promote excellent benefits for the business and wider society as a whole and help contribute to preventing distressing issues such as high suicide rates in the engineering industry.

Can you relate in full or in part to these stories? Improve your wellbeing in your workplace today. Discover more about our for our contracting professionals.

*We’ve changed these names to provide privacy and protect the identity of these people.

Nukon is joint venture between the world of optimisation and automation. our parent company, SAGE Automation, is a leader in the operations market, while NUKON has fast established an outstanding reputation in the manufacturing data, intelligence andimprovement area.

This meeting of minds means we can now bridge the gaps between the different silos within our client businesses, bringing visibility, unity and breakthrough improvements right across our clients' businesses.

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What’s the Hard Return on Employee Wellness Programs?

• Leonard L. Berry,
• Ann M. Mirabito,
• William B. Baun

The ROI data will surprise you, and the softer evidence may inspire you.

Reprint: R1012J

Employee wellness programs have often been viewed as a nice extra, not a strategic imperative. But the data demonstrate otherwise, according to Berry, of Texas A&M University; Mirabito, of Baylor University; and Baun, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Their research shows that the ROI on comprehensive, well-run employee wellness programs is impressive, sometimes as high as six to one.

To achieve those kinds of results, employers cannot merely offer workers a few passes to a fitness center and nutrition information in the cafeteria. The most successful wellness programs are supported by six essential pillars: engaged leadership at multiple levels; strategic alignment with the company’s identity and aspirations; a design that is broad in scope and high in relevance and quality; broad accessibility; internal and external partnerships; and effective communications.

Companies in a variety of industries—including Johnson & Johnson, Lowe’s, H-E-B, and Healthwise—have built their employee wellness programs on all six pillars and have reaped big rewards in the form of lower costs, greater productivity, and higher morale. Those benefits are not easy to achieve, and verifiable paybacks are never a certainty. But the track record inspires emulation, especially when you see the numbers.

The Idea in Brief

Employee wellness programs have often been viewed as a nice extra, not a strategic imperative. But the data show otherwise. The ROI on comprehensive, well-run employee wellness programs can be as high as 6 to 1.

The most successful programs have six essential pillars: engaged leadership at multiple levels; strategic alignment with the company’s identity and aspirations; a design that is broad in scope and high in relevance and quality; broad accessibility; internal and external partnerships; and effective communications.

Companies in a variety of industries have included all six pillars in their employee wellness programs and have reaped big rewards in the form of lower health care costs, greater productivity, and higher morale.

Since 1995, the percentage of Johnson & Johnson employees who smoke has dropped by more than two-thirds. The number who have high blood pressure or who are physically inactive also has declined—by more than half. That’s great, obviously, but should it matter to managers? Well, it turns out that a comprehensive, strategically designed investment in employees’ social, mental, and physical health pays off. J&J’s leaders estimate that wellness programs have cumulatively saved the company $250 million on health care costs over the past decade; from 2002 to 2008, the return was $2.71 for every dollar spent.

• Leonard L. Berry is University Distinguished Professor of Marketing, Regents Professor, and the M.B. Zale Chair in Retailing and Marketing Leadership at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School. He is also a senior fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. His books include Management Lessons from Mayo Clinic , Discovering the Soul of Service , and On Great Service .
• AM Ann M. Mirabito is an assistant professor of marketing at the Hankamer School of Business, Baylor University.
• WB William B. Baun is the manager of the wellness program at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, a director of the National Wellness Institute, and a director of the International Association for Worksite Health Promotion.

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Putting healthier to work

The 2,300-some employees of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS take care of their community, and HR Director Renee Ramirez shares how UnitedHealthcare helps support them in that work.

Video transcript

  23-11782058-UHC-Trimester 3 Wyandotte County_BusinessProfile

Descriptive Accessibility Script

Dramatic music plays. A montage shows people in a meeting room working. The screen dissolves to white with blue text appearing.

ONSCREEN TEXT: Putting healthier to work 

Dramatic music changes to a softer instrumental music that plays throughout. A montage shows different arial shots of buildings. Renee Ramirez interviews before a white background.

RENEE: We are one of the smallest counties within the state of Kansas. However, we are the most diverse. My name is Renee Ramirez, Director of Human Resources for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kansas.

ONSCREEN TEXT: J. Renee Ramirez

Director of Human Resources 

Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, KS

A unified government sign appears on a hallway wall. Then we see Renee speaking to another employee as well as other employee shots. Renee continues speaking.

ONSCREEN TEXT: Unified Government - Wyandotte County - Kansas City - Kansas

RENEE: We have 40 different departments here at the Unified Government. Each department serves a very, very unique role. We live in the same community that we serve, and that's important. Special people have to want to do that. 

A montage shows employees in different area of the center talking. Renee continues speaking.

RENEE: It's important to prioritize the health and well-being of our workforce here at the Unified Government because these are the people that are taking care of the little things that the community needs.

Renee interviews in front of a white background. A montage shows people working out in the wellness center.

RENEE: We have one of the richest benefit plans. We have incentive programs that can engage you to become a healthier individual. Part of our contract with UnitedHealthcare is they are so invested in our employee health that they gave us wellness dollars. 

A montage shows people working out in the wellness center.

RENEE: And it's because of those wellness dollars that we were able to outfit our own fitness center. UnitedHealthcare, they care about us. They care about the well-being of the Unified Government employees.

Jason Haworth interviews before a white background. A blue bar slides into the bottom left of the screen, containing white text.

ONSCREEN TEXT: Jason Haworth 

Business License Administrator

JASON: It's a must to have health insurance, especially when you've got a family of five. I'm just grateful that we've got a great health program.

Jennifer interviews before a white screen. A blue bar slides into the bottom left of the screen, containing white text. 

ONSCREEN TEXT: Jennifer Washington

Clerk’s Office

JENNIFER: It means a lot. It really does. That lets me know that they don't think we're just here to do the work and go home. 

A montage shows Renee in a meeting room with other employees. Renee then interviews in front of a white background.

RENEE: When you're working in a municipality, when you have stringent budgets, you learn to take what you have and make the best of it. That is where UnitedHealthcare comes in. Every decision, every recommendation that they bring to us to consider is done very intentional because they know our workforce. They believe in our workforce. Everything matters. That matters.

A blue u-shaped logo appears against a white background, followed by text.

ONSCREEN TEXT: United 

There for what mattersTM

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This case study is true. Results will vary based on client specific

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ONSCREEN TEXT: EI232748450 12/23

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Retiree health coverage for state and local government employees

UnitedHealthcare offers a range of Medicare plan options for state and local government retirees ages 65 and older. Like state and local government employee plans, employers can design a program that best suits their retirees. View the plans below to get more information about retiree health benefits.