Organizational wellness programs: a meta-analysis.

Development and Pilot Test of the Workplace Readiness Questionnaire, a Theory-Based Instrument to Measure Small Workplaces' Readiness to Implement Wellness Programs.

PURPOSE To develop a theory-based questionnaire to assess readiness for change in small workplaces adopting wellness programs. DESIGN In developing our scale, we first tested items via "think-aloud" interviews. We tested the revised items in a cross-sectional quantitative telephone survey. SETTING The study setting comprised small workplaces (20-250 employees) in low-wage industries. SUBJ...

Workplace wellness programs can generate savings.

Amid soaring health spending, there is growing interest in workplace disease prevention and wellness programs to improve health and lower costs. In a critical meta-analysis of the literature on costs and savings associated with such programs, we found that medical costs fall by about $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs and that absenteeism costs fall by about $2.73 for every dolla...

Do work-site exercise and health programs work?

Studies of high-profile work-site wellness programs suggest a number of important advantages for sponsoring corporations. Participants report greater wellness and enhanced productivity. Objective data suggest that programs (1) chiefly attract employees with a favorable attitude toward both work and health, (2) reduce absenteeism and employee turnover, (3) produce a small increase in productivit...

Wellness Programs and Means of Getting Employees to Stay Healthy: A Response to Kristin Van Busum and Soeren Mattke

Health and Wellness Policy Ethics

This perspective is an ethical brief overview and examination of “wellness” policies in the modern workplace using practical examples and a general application of utilitarianism. Many employers are implementing policies that provide incentives to employees who lead a “healthy” lifestyle. The authors address how these policies could adversely affect “non-healthy” employees. There are a wide vari...