The heads of companies might be interested in seeing you eat more vegetables, hit the gym and give up smoking. However, a new study has raised doubts on whether workplace wellness programs save companies any money, and whether it is even good for employees’ health. A team of independent researchers looked at a workplace program at a major hospital in St Louis in what’s being called the most rigorous look yet at this wellness trend.
There were some impressive results, including the fact that hospital visits for the workers and their families dropped by 41 percent for six major health concerns. However, these gains were arguably outweighed by a huge jump in outpatient costs.
The study, which was published in the journal Health Affairs, has implications for a debate now taking place at companies around the country. That debate centres on how far companies should go in their attempts to make employers lose weight, stop smoking or lead a healthier lifestyle before those actions constitute meddling, or lead to actually worsening quality of life for the employees.
Certainly the immediate payback that some businesses were hoping for doesn’t appear to be there. It had been hoped that promoting a healthy attitude would ensure that employees would take fewer sick days and would be generally healthier and more motivated at work. However, it seems that isn’t necessarily the case.