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Workplace Wellness--Same Old Blame Game

October 06, 2015
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These days nearly every Human Resource department has a wellness function. Larger firms often employ full-time staff to run the program.  However, for most midsize or smaller firms it’s a Benefits pro or HR generalist side gig.  It is these folks who are responsible for coordinating wellness testing and related events.  And right now is their busiest time of year--the “Opening Act” so to speak for the annual benefits open enrollment period.

I don’t envy these folks. Workplace wellness is not an enjoyable gig. Employees hate the intrusiveness of the program and employers; well they just use it as an excuse to look like they are trying to keep health care costs down. Just ask any “Wellness Coordinator” what their biggest gripe is and trust me it won’t be about lack of employee engagement. The biggest gripe these folks have is the constant pressure to keep the numbers up. And not the numbers you think.

  • How many employees received flu shots?
  • How many employees received biometric screenings?
  • How many employees attended this quarter's wellness lunch and learn session?
You see comparing last year's wellness events' attendance to the current years' is often the only program metric the HR dept. tracks.  It's their way of justifying the wellness program to management.  Because wellness program events are voluntary at most workplaces, it’s hard to keep people coming back year after year. But that is exactly what Human Resource department heads expect their low- to mid-level Wellness Coordinators to do. Keep the numbers the same or higher… The fact that research shows that regular screening is unnecessary and has a negative effect on both health and health insurance costs is not an argument HR is willing to hear.

This focus on how many people attend an event is proof that most workplace wellness programs are nothing more than a laundry list of wellness things to do. There is a disconnect between the supposed overarching goal of lowering health care costs and the programs offered. In fact, I suspect that some employers intentionally limit the scope of their programs out of concern that workers will seek more health care and drive costs even higher. And while I am out here on a limb, would it be overly cynical to say that workplace wellness programs are a way for employers to blame high health insurance and health care costs on employees?

Think about. You can easily characterize many wellness programs as lifestyle shaming or fat shaming—and many have. Why not go all out and say your health insurance costs are high because many of you have fat-related illnesses. And because of “you” your health insurance premiums are going up and we have to offer these high deductible health plans to keep the premiums as low as possible.

Employers have a history of shifting the blame for high health insurance costs on anyone but themselves. Forget that they are the second largest purchasers of the stuff and could use their collective clout to try and keep cost down. Providing wellness programs is just another way for them to pretend like controlling health insurance costs is out of their hands. But somehow the lowly Wellness Coordinator can make a difference.

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