When it comes to improving the health of a workforce, an employer’s biggest ally might never set foot in the office. Why? Because that ally is the spouse or partner of your employee. These individuals have the power to either suggest going for an after-dinner walk or bike ride or suggest curling up with a bag of chips and a marathon of whatever’s hot on Netflix.

Spouses and domestic partners have a significant impact on whether employees participate in a workplace wellness program and on the health habits they adopt, so it’s important that employers find ways to include them in wellness program offerings.

The underlying idea here isn’t revolutionary. Numerous studies over the years have demonstrated that we are creatures of our environment. If we surround ourselves with healthy people, odds are better that we will be healthy. The opposite is also true.