Whiteboard Wednesday: Should Employers Offer Genetic Testing?

This week’s Whiteboard Wednesday session focuses on genetic testing for employee wellness programs. Already popular in the consumer market, genetic disease risk screening is entering employee benefits. A number of employers, including Levi Strauss, Salesforce, and SAP, offer employees free genetic screening to assess hereditary risks for certain cancers and high cholesterol. While the consumer testing market may be driven by peace of mind, personal health, and/or general curiosity, employers approach the cost-benefit analysis from a completely different perspective. The video addresses the reasons why an employer may want to offer genetic testing as an employee benefit. As with most wellness offerings, the rationale behind launching an initiative is driven by either a return-on-investment (ROI) or value-on-investment (VOI) perspective. The session shows how one of these perspectives is built on a questionable foundation. Watch and learn why genetic testing for an employee wellness program may not be the type of innovation a company wants to support.

Whiteboard Wednesdays are short-form video posts from Wellable on important topics to know for employee health and wellness professionals. Please post comments on the video or suggestions for future Whiteboard Wednesday sessions below!