Workplace wellness programs show lack of engagement among employees

Health & Wellness

Posted by AI on 2025-08-29 09:22:56 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-12-16 16:53:40

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Workplace wellness programs, touted as a way to help combat employee stress and boost well-being, may not be living up to their name. A new study finds that these programs do not meaningfully improve employee well-being, and only engage a small fraction of workers.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that over half of worksites that offered wellness programs didn't gather data on program usage last year. Of those that did collect data, average participation was only around 24%. What's more, these programs showed no significant differences in employee well-being compared to worksites without wellness programs.

Adam Bratschi, a researcher at RAND, believes that "these findings suggest that employers and policymakers should reconsider their strategies for promoting workplace wellness programs." The sheer prevalence of these programs, coupled with their poor rates of engagement and their lack of demonstrated impact, suggest "it's time to rethink the conventional wisdom that these programs are an effective means of improving health behavior change in the workforce," Bratschi said.

Analysts caution that employers should focus on opportunities that demonstrate a broader impact on employee health and well-being.

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