It is important to assess the effectiveness of all Workplace Wellness Programs. There are several very simple ways to assess Workplace Wellness Programs:
How many attended the corporate health and Workplace Wellness Program, and was there participation or a visible level of interest?
Use a short and simple pen and paper assessment that people fill out at the end of the Workplace Wellness Program /presentation. Statements that are rated on a scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) will give valuable information. Ask about:
• The value of the Workplace Wellness Programs to the individual
• The style of the presenter
• The presenter’s knowledge of the topic
• The level of knowledge gained by the staff member
• Other areas that would be of interest for future Workplace Wellness Programs
Examples of Questions about Workplace Wellness Programs
• This program provided me with information and/or skills I will use.
• The presenter was knowledgeable about the subject matter.
• There was adequate time for questions.
• The methods used to present the information were effective.
Open-ended questions about Workplace Wellness Programs may include:
• The best part of this Workplace Wellness Program was…
• The part that needed improvement was….
• I would attend another Workplace Wellness Program by this speaker…
• Topics I would like to see included in other presentations or Wellness Programs…
This would be a process assessment that examines how well the Workplace Wellness Programs were started. It is also important to look at health outcomes and cost outcomes of Workplace Wellness Programs.
More in-depth information about the cost-effectiveness of Workplace Wellness Programs can be found by analyzing data before and after Workplace Wellness Programs concerning medical care claims, workers’ comp claims, sick time, productivity levels, etc. Health outcomes for Workplace Wellness Programs can be measured by looking at health claims and sick time.
It is also important to look at the impact of Workplace Wellness Programs on family members. For example, smoking by pregnant mothers may lead to the birth of a severely impaired child. This could cost an employer or health plan hundreds of thousands of dollars, an expense that could have been avoided with well-designed Workplace Wellness Programs.
You can also compare the cost per staff member of running the Workplace Wellness Programs to the savings per staff member. One assessment of Workplace Wellness Programs involving 20,000 to 25,000 staff members at New York City-based Citibank showed a return of $6.70 for every dollar the company invested in Workplace Wellness Programs. The findings were based on a study of health costs and absenteeism.1
An ongoing assessment of your Workplace Wellness Programs should be performed each year and additional periodic evaluations of Workplace Wellness Programs should be conducted on an ad hoc basis. An ad hoc assessment of your Workplace Wellness Programs might be initiated by a variety of triggers. For example, at the end of flu season, a company might want to assess its flu shot program.
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