Positive Return on Investment

No decision-maker would deny that “one had to spend money to make money.” Once the initial investment is made, a wellness program will immediately start paying for it – provided that it’s properly promoted and maintained – and then produce concrete savings for the company.

General Mills instituted a lifestyle modification program to reduce absenteeism that required participants to complete one of three optional lifestyle activities every three months. An evaluation of the program found that in the second year of the program General Mills had saved $226.32 per employee in absentee related costs with an ROI of 3.1 to 1. The third year of the program saw an even higher ROI at 3.9 to 1.

Goetz RZ, Juday TR, Ozminkowski RJ.
What’s the ROI? A systematic review of return-on-investment studies of corporate health and productivity management Initiatives.
AWHP’s Worksite Health 1999

At Pfizer’s New York location 41% of employees participate in an onsite fitness centre where there is a 250-person waiting list. In 1998 the ROI for all of Pfizer’s onsite fitness centres was 4.29 to 1.

US Department of Health and Human Services.
Prevention Makes Common Cents. September 2003

Health Promotion Programs
Return on Investment per $US2 invested

Source: Pelletier K.R Adapted from a review and analysis of the health and cost-effective outcome studies of comprehensive health promotion and disease prevention programs at the worksite; 1991-1993 update am F health Promote. 1993; 8(1): 50-62

A four-year impact study of the Johnson & Johnson Health & Wellness Program found that the most substantial cost savings was seen in years three and four after implementation.

Goetzel RZ, Ozminkowski RJ, Bruno JA, Rutter KR, Isaac F, Wang S,
The long Term impact of Johnson & Johnson’s Health & Wellness Program on employee health risks.
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2002