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“When the field of Worksite Health Promotion became popular some 40 years ago there were no studies claiming ROI for investment in employee health. Leading companies decided to invest in wellness programs because it was the right thing to do. It only makes sense, right? Healthy employees are better employees. They are productive, happier, less stressed, less absent and, of course, they cost less,” the Working Well Blog notes.

“Somewhere along the line companies started showing a positive ROI for health promotion programs. Yes, it makes sense if employees are healthier they will cost less. And yes, there are hundreds of studies to prove this point. Lately, however, there have been some reports claiming that there is actually no ROI associated with wellness programs.”

“For one, that simply isn’t true. Those of us in the field know that well-designed programs achieve great financial ROI. But that simply isn’t the point and it’s not the only reason we should be investing in employee health. In the rest of the world, where often times paying for health insurance isn’t a responsibility of the company but rather the government, wellness programs still exists. Why? Because of all the other value associated with having a wellness program: recruitment, retention, productivity, reduced absenteeism, and morale to name a few.”

“A new term came up several times at the conference and I think it may stick. VOI: Value on Investment. I can’t think of a better value on investment than improved health.”