Evaluation of Corporate Wellness Programs

It is important to evaluate the effectiveness of all Corporate Wellness Programs. There are a number of very simple ways to evaluate Corporate Wellness Programs:

How many attended the corporate health and Corporate 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 Worksite 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 Corporate Wellness Programs to the individual
•    The style of the presenter
•    The presenter’s knowledge of the topic
•    The level of knowledge gained by the worker
•    Other areas that would be of interest for future Corporate Wellness Programs

Examples of Questions about Corporate 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 Corporate Wellness Programs may include:
•    The best part of this Worksite Wellness Program was…
•    The part that needed improvement was….
•    I would attend another Worksite 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 Corporate Wellness Programs were implemented. It is also important to evaluate health outcomes and cost outcomes of Corporate Wellness Programs.

More in-depth information about the cost-effectiveness of Corporate Wellness Programs can be found by analyzing data before and after Corporate Wellness Programs concerning healthcare claims, workers’ comp claims, sick time, productivity levels, etc. Health outcomes for Corporate Wellness Programs can be measured by looking at health claims and sick time.

It is also important to evaluate the impact of Corporate Wellness Programs on family members. For example, tobacco by pregnant mothers may lead to the birth of a severely impaired child. This could cost an employer or medical plan hundreds of thousands of dollars, an expense that could have been avoided with well-designed Corporate Wellness Programs.

You can also compare the cost per worker of running the Corporate Wellness Programs to the savings per worker. One assessment of Corporate Wellness Programs involving 20,000 to 25,000 workers at New York City-based Citibank showed a return of $6.70 for every dollar the business invested in Corporate Wellness Programs. The findings were based on a research study of medical costs and absenteeism.1

An ongoing assessment of your Corporate Wellness Programs should be performed annually and additional periodic evaluations of Corporate Wellness Programs should be conducted on an ad hoc basis. An ad hoc assessment of your Corporate Wellness Programs might be initiated by a variety of triggers. For example, at the end of flu season, a business might want to evaluate its flu shot program.