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Much gets written about the effectiveness of workplace wellness programs: How can employers know what works? What areas create the most impact for employees?

The Harvard Business Review runs a piece by Rajiv Kumar, founder and CEO of ShapeUp. The piece points out a 2013 Rand study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showing that “nearly 80% of people who work for organizations with 50 or more employees have access to a wellness program.”

Indeed, the Rand study found that “lifestyle management interventions as part of workplace wellness programs can reduce risk factors, such as smoking, and increase healthy behaviors, such as exercise. We find that these effects are sustainable over time and clinically meaningful.”

And there's more: “Workplace wellness programs can help contain the current epidemic of lifestyle-related diseases, the main driver of premature morbidity and mortality as well as health care cost in the United States.”

Kumar identifies the reasons that he has found — after working with business leaders — why business leaders support wellness plans in their companies:

1. “Humanity. Yes, it exists in the C-suite, despite what cynics say. Executives at America’s largest companies believe investing in the health and wellness of their employees is simply the right thing to do.”
2. “Fiscal responsibility. These leaders are under great pressure to rein in soaring health care costs, and they rightfully see wellness programs as one way to do that.”
3. “Perspicacity. Insightful executives look for every competitive advantage they can harness, and that’s what healthier employees represent.”