Job wellness program increases productivity

These encouraging results are provided by a study conducted by scientists at the School of Business at the University of California (UCR), Riverside, University of California, Los Angeles as well as the Washington University in St. Louiswhich will soon be published in the journal Management Science. According to study leader Timothy Gubler of the UCR Business School, this is the first study to show a causal link between productivity gains and company-organized wellness programs.

Participants observed and evaluated over three years

For the study "Doing Well by Making Well: The Impact of Corporate Wellness Programs on Employee Productivity", 85 percent of the employees of four laundries belonging to the same company voluntarily took part in a company wellness program. The test subjects first received free biometric screening and completed a health check including a blood test. It was found that two-thirds of the employees suffered from illnesses. They were classified as "healthy" and "sick" according to medical criteria and given medical treatment if necessary.

After the check, the participants took part in further health training as part of the program, during which healthcare professionals explained their health status in detail and provided them with recommendations on how to improve it. Subsequently, the participants' health status and productivity were monitored and evaluated over three years.

Significant increases in the Productivity thanks to Wellness program

Those who were categorized as sick and whose health improved over the period showed a productivity increase of a whopping eleven percent as a result. Participants who were categorized as healthy and became even healthier increased their productivity by ten percent. Healthy employeeswhose condition did not change became six percent more productive. Only sick employees whose health did not change were unable to increase their productivity.

Source: Press release