About half of U.S. companies recently surveyed by global consulting firm Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health have or are planning to reinforce programs aimed at improving worker health, despite pressure to reduce benefits budgets.

Of more than 280 companies surveyed, 51 percent is planning no change or a slight increase to their health and productivity program budgets, compared with 44 percent that are planning cuts. In addition, nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of employers have already enhanced their onsite offerings with programs geared toward stress management, EAPs or health coaches, or expect to do so in the next 12 months.

The findings have been released in a study, the 2009 Staying@Work Report.