WHAT IS WORKPLACE WELLNESS?
The term "wellness" is not defined or used consistently around the world. As defined for this report, wellness refers to programs designed to improve the health and well-being of employees (and their families), in order to enhance organizational performance and reduce costs. Wellness programs typically address specific behaviors and health risk factors, such as poor nutrition, physical inactivity, stress, obesity, and smoking. These factors commonly lead to serious and expensive health problems and have a negative impact on workforce productivity.
Wellness programs raise awareness, provide information and education, and offer incentives that encourage employees and their families to adopt healthier lifestyles. These initiatives are most successful in a workplace environment that promotes and supports health and well-being.
Wellness programs also can help reduce the incidence and severity of chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. Employers often integrate their wellness initiatives with chronic disease management programs to provide a continuum of healthy lifestyle support.
Wellness or "well-being" is increasingly used to encompass a spectrum of personal issues beyond physical and mental health, such as financial security, community involvement and career success.
Health promotion, health improvement, health and well-being, and disease prevention programs are other terms used in place of wellness. This report uses the terms wellness and health promotion interchangeably.
| In the United States, where health care cost control is the primary strategic driver for wellness, 40 percent of respondents have measured the effect of wellness programs on their health care cost trend rate. Register Now to learn more. |
| In Latin America, lack of exercise is the top health concern among participating employers. Stress ranks second in Latin America, but is a much lower priority (sixth) in the United States, likely reflecting different cultural attitudes toward stress. Register Now to learn more. |
| Rapidly growing wellness program elements globally include on-site resources such as personal health coaching, improvement in vending machine and cafeteria food choices, cycle-to-work programs and other physical activity and physical therapy support. Register Now to learn more. |
| Employer health promotion continues to grow in popularity throughout the world, with 41 to 49 percent of surveyed employers providing programs to their employees in all regions outside North America. Register now to learn more. |
| Only 33 percent of participants believe that they have a culture of health today, but 81 percent intend to pursue it for the future. |
For the fourth consecutive year, Buck Consultants' survey WORKING WELL: A Global Survey of Health Promotion and Workplace Wellness Strategies investigates emerging trends in employer-sponsored health promotion and wellness programs. At vielife, we want to provide you with access to this valuable data and information and help you see beyond the results. Interested in the kind of information you can gain access to?
By exploring areas such as program strategy, design, objectives, incentives, measurement, evaluation, and communication, this research provides insights into how employers around the world implement and evaluate strategic wellness initiatives.
This year, 1,248 organizations based in 47 countries, representing more than 13 million employees, responded to the survey.