In an entirely entertaining Forbes online article, a truly effective healthcare leader, Leah Binder, lists the following three hazards of worksite wellness programs:
1. Dismaying and Alienating Employees. Who today doesn't already know that smoking is unhealthy?
2. Bad Programs Don't Save Money. Too many wellness vendors simply fabricate results.
3. Potential Harm to Employee Health. False positives on wellness-driven testing can lead to employee harm and huge, unwanted spending.
Binder writes "I don't come to this conclusion lightly."
Further, "...I believe we must call out poorly designed programs that prey on well-meaning employers and other purchasers."
She points to a great book by on this topic by my friends and colleagues Vik Khanna and Al Lewis, Surviving Workplace Wellness...: With Your Dignity, Finances and (Major) Organs Intact.
