2 Reasons Why Workplace Wellness Programs Fail

2 Minute Thursday

Companies implement wellness programs for three reasons, to increase employee wellness, decrease health care costs, and increase employee productivity. Although the importance of employee wellness is increasingly prioritized, programs continue to fail. For an 8 billion dollar industry, the wellness programming ROI (in both tangibles and intangibles) is mediocre at best. 

A 2019 Harvard Medical School study echoed this reality, finding "no significant differences in [other] self-reported health and behaviors; clinical markers of health; health care spending or utilization; or absenteeism, tenure, or job performance after 18 months."(1). An over-expensive nonstarter, at best. So, why don't workplace wellness programs work?

1) “Wellness” Goes Undefined.

What does employee wellness look like? In answering this question, HR leaders and program providers can start to explore program OKRs. Most corporate wellness programs are implemented, not designed. There's no one size fits all wellness program, which is why monthly step contests and company-wide 5ks provide little to no long-term value. Wellness looks different person to person, department to department, and company to company. Unique wellness "solutions" should be designed to address individual wellness "problems," and these problems will vary. In understanding what "wellness" looks like on a case-by-case basis, companies will have better-defined objectives, and providers can better strategize for program success. 

2) Health and Wellness Become Synonymous.

Health is king, but wellness is queen. Like in chess, once the king has fallen, it's game over. But, don't be mistaken, because the queen is running the show. Companies often mistake employee health for employee wellness, and while related, they are not the same. Health is a state of being, while wellness is the pursuit of balanced living. In understanding the difference between health and wellness, companies can better design programs that influence short- and long-term success. Perhaps, companies might even see biometric readings and weight loss challenges as nonessentials to employee wellness, spending more time improving company culture and developing employee support systems. 

1) Song Z, Baicker K. Effect of a Workplace Wellness Program on Employee Health and Economic Outcomes: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2019;321(15):1491–1501. doi:10.1001/jama.2019.3307) 

Questions/comments? Email me, briana@brianawilliamscoaching.com