A new survey suggests employers have dramatically hiked their investment in wellness initiatives over the past five years.

To be clear, the survey of 202 HR professionals by RedBrickHealth, a firm that consults with employers about improving employee health, did not find that wellness programs are necessarily more common. But employers are spending more to encourage employees to adopt healthier lifestyles.

The same survey in 2010 found that 64 percent of employers offered financial incentives for participation in certain health programs, with a median incentive of $150. In 2015, the same percentage of employers reported offering incentives, but the median incentive had nearly tripled, to $400.

The largest incentives are tied to health risk assessments, physical activity tracking and biometric screenings, all of which paid workers a median of $100. Median incentives for other activities were smaller, including team challenges ($45), on-site fitness center visits ($40) and telephonic lifestyle coaching ($25).

Forty-seven percent of employers that offer incentives tie them to participation, while 34 percent base them on health outcomes. Eighteen percent offer bonuses based on a combination of both.

Employers that base the success of their programs solely on the participation of employees are typically less satisfied with their workers’ level of engagement. But the percentage that define it thus has declined from 55 percent to 35 percent in the past five years.

Seventeen percent define health engagement more broadly, citing employees’ attitudes toward health and recognition of the importance of healthy living. That’s still quite small, but it’s an increase over the 9 percent who supported that definition five years ago.

Very few employers appear to believe that health engagement is based on whether or not employees improve their overall health. That hardly changed between 2010-15, with only 4 and 5 percent of employers, respectively, choosing that definition.

The most common medically-oriented programs are flu shots (87 percent), preventative screenings and exams (84 percent) and health risk assessments (80 percent). Biometric screenings are significantly lower (60 percent).

Common programs geared toward establishing healthier habits include smoking cessation (78 percent) and weight management (72 percent). About half of employers offer lifestyle coaching via telephone or the web.

As for helping employees with their health care decisions, a whopping 89 percent have some type of employee assistance program, and 71 percent have a nurse help line. Just under a third have an on-site clinic.

Instant Insights /

Employers boosting incentives for wellness programs

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