Worksite health promotion and wellness programs have become ubiquitous. Nearly 85% of large employers across the United States offer their employees wellness program options while corporate wellness has grown into an almost $100 billion dollar industry. The need for healthy workers is critical to employers and so a growing movement to support employees in maintaining or improving their health seems to be exactly what's needed. This may be especially the case since obesity prevalence continues to increase, mental health continues to decline, and chronic diseases continue to challenge overall employee health and well-being.
Importantly, however, positive outcomes of worksite health promotion programs are critical to ensure that the field continues to provide value. To do so, programs and interventions must be designed to go beyond telling people (as individuals) how to change their behaviors to be more healthful and address other underlying factors that enable them to successfully achieve their health goals. For example, worksite health programs that show positive outcomes tend to be comprehensive, integrated, and built iteratively for longer duration (repeated year over year with sustained performance), incorporate best practices by design, focus on outcomes that are aligned with business goals and employee needs (including target populations), have accountable leadership, and incorporate dedicated staff (1–6).
The purpose of this column is to describe several important factors that are critical to include in the design of worksite health promotion programs in order to optimize best outcomes. These factors include the integration of safety and health, the consideration of the conditions of work, the incorporation of key principles of program design, and the potential need for work redesign.