Survey: 60% Of HR Leaders View Wellness As Engagement Tool

A recent survey conducted Human Capital Media, the research arm of Workforce magazine, and Virgin Pulse found greater evidence highlighting the changing views of employers as it relates to employee wellness programs. According to the survey of more than 1,000 human resource professionals, more employers are going beyond lower medical expenses when assessing the benefits of wellness programs. Respondents to the survey said they are looking to improve employee engagement (60%), productivity (53%), and organizational culture (53%) through wellness. Employee wellness is no longer being seen as strictly a human resources initiative; it is becoming a business imperative with senior leadership support.

Since employee engagement and productivity will continue to be top priorities for 2016, it is natural to expect an even greater focus on employee wellness initiatives in the coming year. Specifically, nearly 89% of respondents at the director level and above cited improving employee productivity as the top priority next year, with engagement (88%) and corporate culture (86%) following closely behind. Furthermore, more than 97% agreed that employee wellness programs can positively impact the achievement of each of these broader business priorities and goals.

The good news from this survey is that the benefits attributable to wellness are increasing. The bad news is that the “new” benefits are arguably just as hard to measure and quantify. How do you determine that wellness benefits led to greater retention and stronger recruitment? So many factors go into finding success in talent management; it is hard to identify how much employee wellness is contributing to your company’s success. We suggest utilizing external research that shows healthier individuals are happier and more productive. You can also incorporate short, regular surveys to gauge the pulse of your organization to assess the impact your program is having.