LifeWorks@TURCK: A Best Practice Case Study on Workplace Well-being Program Design

Abstract

Health and education are the most important factors related to human capital. They form the basis of an individual’s and a population’s productivity and associate population health as a key ingredient to poverty reduction, economic growth, and long-term economic development of a region or entire societies (9,15). As such, both factors are extremely important to business and industry because they prepare the future workforce and (a) optimize the performance of current employees atwork and in their home life, (b) positively influence people’s lives in general, and (c) reduce overdependency on medical care resources. It is therefore not surprising that during times of ever-increasing medical care expenditures, ofwhichmuch of the burden is borne by business and industry, employers look to workplace health protection and promotion to better manage their costs (17). Generally speaking, workplace health programs have proven effective for health improvement (6,10,14,16). Literature reviews also support the notion thatworkplace wellness programs can generate savings in medical care expenditures and reduce productivity loss (1). However, criticism of these claims has surfaced in recent years as several analyses indicate that the savings may not be as robust as reported (2,3). So, where does this inconsistent view of results come from? Why do conflicting results emerge from systematic reviews conducted by highly credible sources? Arguably, not all programs are designed to produce results. Whereas workplace wellness programs have become quite common with the vast majority of companies (77%) in the United States (3), the most recent National Worksite Health Promotion survey points out that only 6.9% of companies have programs that may be considered comprehensive in design (8). Program design matters in producing results, and programs designed according to best practice principles tend to produce better outcomes (5,12). Therefore, a differentiation should bemade betweenwell-designed programs and those that do not adhere to well-established known practices related to successful programs.