New Report on Wellness Programs: Involve Spouses for Better Results

Employers who have invested in employee wellness programs may be interested in a new report that finds outcomes are most positive when employee spouses are included in the programs.

A new joint report from the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) and Mercer consulting firms finds that employers who follow best practices for workplace wellness programs are more likely to report improvements in medical cost trends, as well as improved employee health status.

The best practice trends that yield higher outcomes are:

• Including spouses in key components of the program.
• Promoting all wellness activities under a single brand name.
• Having a formal, written strategic plan with financial objectives.
• Active participation by senior leadership in wellness programs.

The study found that employers that permit spouses to participate in programs reported an average employee participation rate that was twice as high as the rate among employers that don’t include spouses — 28 percent compared to 14 percent. When spouses were included in key components of the wellness program, employers were also more likely to report improvement in health risk and in medical trends.

Employer interest in health and wellness programs has been growing the past several years, especially since the Affordable Care Act provides companies incentives to promote employee wellness programs and build healthier workforces.