Finding Fit: Implementing Workplace Wellness Programs Successfully

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Continuing previous research on trends in workplace wellness programs, national nonprofit Transamerica Institute® and its Transamerica Center for Health Studies® (TCHS) together with the Interdisciplinary Center for Healthy Workplaces (ICHW) at UC Berkeley collaborated on FINDING FIT: Implementing Workplace Wellness Programs Successfully, to give employers the tools to shape wellness programs for their employees. This evidence-based, workplace wellness technical report and employer guide are meant to help employers in their efforts to promote employee health, increase program participation, and improve productivity. 

Available for free, the 2018 Employer Guide focuses on the types of wellness programs that have shown to be effective and provides a step-by-step process for identifying one or more wellness programs that fit each employer’s unique characteristics. Eight different wellness program types were identified, involving topics such as education programs, social community building, preventive care, healthy habit development and disease management. To create the assessment tool, each wellness program type was analyzed by its essential requirements for successful implementation. 

Also available for free is the Technical Report, FINDING FIT: Increasing Participation Rates in Wellness Programs for Small and Medium Organizations. This evidenced-based report analyzes how workplace wellness programs are applicable to all sizes of organizations, featuring several components including: a literature review; overviews of employer focus group responses; an analysis of 2017 Harris Poll Surveys - of 1,520 employers and 2,892 employees; and a list of publicly available resources on workplace wellness programs. Appendices to the Technical Report is also available for free.

ICHW and TCHS have also released the FINDING FIT: Interactive Assessment Tool, which will guide users through an assessment to determine the wellness program type(s) that best “fits” their organization based on their organization's unique opportunities and constraints. The results of the tool will help the user decide which wellness program type(s) to introduce to their organization. To determine fit, this tool takes users through 3 sections of questions and then automatically determines the best fitting programs based on the number of facilitators and barriers present. The tool also links to the Finding Fit employer guide publication so that users can learn more about addressing constraints including employee motivation. In addition, the tool allows users to revisit and adjust their answers to see how their results might change in real time, reflecting which wellness program types might be a better fit if small changes are made in the organization. This tool is an online user-friendly version of the assessment tool found within the Finding Fit employer guide and is meant to be used as a standalone assessment or in conjunction with the employer guide publication.


You can download the free guide here and the technical report here.