Dive Brief:
- New data from the Society for Human Resource Management suggests that wellness programs are no fad; rather, they are becoming increasingly prevalent in workplaces across the U.S.
- The group's annual survey revealed an increase from 2014 to 2015 in wellness benefits that include health and lifestyle coaching, smoking cessation programs, and discounts on premiums as a reward for undergoing a yearly risk assessment.
- Companies are increasingly looking to wellness programs as tools to help control the increasing cost of healthcare, SHRM found.
Dive Insight:
The strategy of employing preventative programs to help reduce costs is also being used to shift a larger proportion of healthcare costs to employees.
Among the survey's findings for benefit growth over the past five years are: a 10% increase in general wellness programs; a 9% increase in health and lifestyle coaching; and a 7% increase in preventive programs to assist those with chronic health conditions. The survey also found increases in coverage for mental health, contraception, vision, short-term disability, critical illness and laser-based vision surgery.
Benefits on the decline included healthcare premium flexible spending accounts, on-site stress reduction programs, and family benefits such as allowing children at work in an emergency and providing childcare referral services.