Workplace wellness program are popular with employers. They are offered by about 80% of large companies, and they account for $8 billion in spending annually. However, they may not be packing the bang for the buck that employers had hoped for. According to a new study out of Harvard University, people who worked at sites offering wellness programs exhibited higher rates of some healthy behaviors (such as regular exercise and weight management), but there was no significant difference in other behaviors. For instance, they didn’t have better body mass index, blood pressure, or cholesterol; nor did they have lower absenteeism rates, better job performance, or reduced health care use/spending. The researchers suggested the need to better understand how to encourage healthy behavior. In the meantime, they observed, while it is appropriate for employers to have and promote these programs, they should temper expectations about their impact. Read the full article.
