Summary: This study from JOEM identifies key success factors of corporate wellness programs that are associated with creating a culture of wellness.

Objective: The aim of the study was to identify key success elements of employer-sponsored health promotion (wellness) programs.

Methods: They conducted an updated literature review, held discussions with subject matter experts, and visited nine companies with exemplary programs to examine current best and promising practices in workplace health promotion programs.

Results: Best practices include establishing a culture of health and using strategic communications. Key elements that contribute to a culture of health are leadership commitment, social and physical environmental support, and employee involvement. Strategic communications are designed to
educate, motivate, market offerings, and build trust. They are tailored and targeted, multi-channeled, bidirectional, with optimum timing, frequency, and placement.

Conclusions: Increased efforts are needed to disseminate lessons learned from employers who have built cultures of health and excellent communications strategies and apply these insights more broadly in workplace settings.

Practical Significance: This article provides a current look at the key success factors of exemplary employer wellness programs. It is useful for educating senior management about what is required to produce results. The article also summarizes 8 other benchmarking efforts and compare their results to this study’s findings. Very useful reference.