Lately, there’s been some debate about whether workplace health promotion programs, more commonly known as wellness programs, work. To us, it’s similar to asking whether reviews, training programs, employee assistance services, or other company initiatives are effective for both worker performance and the bottom line. The honest answer is that some are successful while others fail. And most of the time this comes down to how they’re designed and executed.
Hector De La Torre is the executive director of the Transamerica Center for Health Studies, a national nonprofit, private foundation and division of the Transamerica Institute. Through broad-based analysis and research findings, the center helps consumers and employers navigate the financial implications of the health care decisions they are facing today.
Ron Goetzel, Ph.D., is senior scientist and director of the Institute for Health and Productivity Studies (IHPS), a collaborative established between the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Truven Health Analytics. IHPS conducts empirical research on the relationship between employee health and well-being, health care utilization and costs, and work-related productivity.