A key component of successful worksite wellness programs is a deeper understanding of the behavior you can change, and the behavior you can’t. (Photo: Shutterstock)

A recent study in JAMA showed that a large workplace wellness at BJ’s Wholesale Club failed to improve employee health and deliver ROI. The study looked at the 32,000-plus employees of BJ’s Wholesale Club and concluded that while the company’s worksite wellness program did lead to higher rates of exercise and weight management, it did not have an impact on health behaviors, clinical markers of health, health spending or absenteeism.

In short, the program and others like it was found to be nice, but not cost-saving. This study doesn’t conclude wellness doesn’t work, just that it hasn’t (so far) in this example. Yet most managers shouldn’t be surprised by that when you look at the entire picture.

ASIS and TOBE matter

As a CEO, I know that any change initiative designed without an understanding of the current process, its risks and costs, and poorly defined improvement goals, is doomed. Successful programs use data upfront to understand the “As Is” (ASIS), and set change goals (the To Be, or “TOBE”) based on what the data shows (analytics), and then build a program to meet those goals. This way a business case can be developed before the project begins, to determine its justification. The initiative should then always be measured along the way, so, if necessary, changes can be made to reach the goals. Only then can a final measurement, like the one presented in the JAMA study, then be conducted to conclude if the project was a success.