In the past I have written about the limited evidence that wellness program work. So we should see that employers are abandoning these programs or at least scaling back? According to one recent study, however employers are actually increasing investments in wellness programs. The study surveys employers from over 500 companies with more than 100 people. As reported by AMCP, the researcher find that:
Eighty percent of employers claimed that they are intending to increase their health and wellness budgets this year, more than double compared with 2009 (33%)…
Is there new great evidence that wellness works? The answer is probably ‘no’. However, the cost-benefits calculations for employers have changed. With new digital apps available, the cost of providing wellness programs has fallen. Further, employers are using wellness not only in an attempt to decrease health care costs, but also better retain employees. In fact,
…employers are continually increasing the use of digital technology for engaging employees in health and well-being programs. Because of this, the proportion of employers using health-related mobile apps increased by 46% since 2016 as the majority of companies reporting that the apps help with employee participation.
Maybe wellness isn’t dead after all.