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We often report on important studies that provide insights into the business case behind a well-run workplace wellness program (for example, here, here, and here).

A Utica College dissertation took an additional view. It's titled “Workplace wellness: An examination of components that positively impact employers return on investment and reduce employees health risk.”

The report states: “Employers bear the economic burden of their staff’s ill health. Wellness programs are becoming more prevalent and are thought to lower employers operating costs. The purpose of this Capstone project was to illustrate worksite wellness programs return on investment to employers, demonstrate the reduction of health risks to the employee and establish the need for a successful wellness program in all health care facilities.”

To make a determination, the author Maria Jensen, M.S., performed a “comprehensive literature review of studies between the years of 2002 and 2015” to collect data.

Here's what Jensen did: “The first evaluation was the quantity of wellness programs offered by hospital employers compared to the number offered in the business and manufacturing sector. This was followed by a comparative analysis to illustrate that wellness programs that focus on multiple chronic diseases concurrently and utilize lifestyle and disease management components were key to positively impacting employee health risks and increase employers cost savings when set against programs that focused on one singular disease process.”

The result? “Corresponding changes in the utilization of health care services and/or absenteeism revealed cost savings. The findings illustrated that there is a positive financial return on investment to employers for every dollar invested in worksite wellness programs as well as a reduction in employees’ health risks.”