57% Of Employers Have Wellness Program, 31% In Process

Employee Benefit News’s most recent wellness survey provides some interesting insights on the future of wellness. Most notably, the survey shows that employers are not deterred by the recent lawsuits questioning the legality of wellness programs. Based on responses from 247 benefits decision-makers, “57% currently have a wellness program, and another 31% are either thinking of or are on their way to implementing a wellness strategy.” With nearly nine out of ten employers on the path to corporate wellness, the wellness push within employers is hotter than ever.

Among those respondents who are yet to implement a wellness program, their rationale usually comes down to a lack of management support (20%), a lack of resources or information on best wellness practices (23%), or that wellness is just not a company priority right now (39%). In regard to the former, we have a few tips on building management support.

It is important to note that a number of respondents identified moving away from what they describe as failed attempts at wellness. Reasons behind these failed attempts include costs and lack of management support (each 25%) and administration hassles and growing concerns about employee privacy and anti-discrimination laws (each 13%).

As wellness continues to gain popularity and the regulatory environment becomes more defined, employers should expect that wellness benefits will be the norm to recruit and retain top talent. Corporate wellness is becoming a pillar of benefit packages and leading employers should be proactive is establishing their programs.