Senior leadership is continuing to put an emphasis on improving employee health, according a survey by Willis North America's Human Capital Practice, a unit of Willis Group Holdings.

In fact, senior leadership commitment rose 42 percent in 2010, compared to 6 percent in 2009. Respondents also say the two most important factors in the success of a workplace wellness program were management support and strong organizational cultural support. Still, employers continue to have trouble successfully engaging the workforce in wellness initiatives and faced barriers when measuring employee success.

"While it is encouraging to see organizational support at the senior level significantly increasing, the survey indicates a need to focus programs on increased employee engagement," says Cheryl Mealey, national practice leader, wellness consulting of Willis Human Capital Practice. "Senior management is really starting to embrace the idea that our health impacts how we work, and how we work impacts our health."