Dive Brief:

• A majority of U.S. workers (73%) said health and wellness programs are a consideration in deciding whether to work for a company, according to a new OfficeTeam survey. Among the 1,000 workers polled, 26% favored incentives that reward healthy behavior, while 22% said the same of programs with fitness facilities (23%), two resources commonly found in organizational offerings, per a separate OfficeTeam survey.
• One-fifth of companies don't offer health and wellness programs, according to OfficeTeam. Worker respondents cited healthy food choices, ergonomic equipment and assessments, stress management and onsite health screenings and vaccinations as other in-demand offerings.
• Respondents ages 18 to 34 were more likely to factor in health and wellness offerings in their job decisions (87%), compared with those ages 35 to 54 (70%) and those 55 and older (44%). Men (79%) were more likely than women (65%) to consider health and wellness in their employment decisions.

Dive Insight:

Candidates and recruits have said in other polls that they would leave their current job for another with better benefits in general. Half the respondents in a 2018 Yoh survey said better benefits would entice them to jump ship. Wellness programs can be a decisive factor in for employees choosing between offers, and recruiters can make their offerings part of both their pitch and their employer brand.

Evidence for wellness program popularity was also presented in two separate academic case studies from 2017. Nearly all employees (90%) in a Stanford University study described their organization's well-being program as "one of the top perks of employment," and 64% of workers in a University of Michigan study said their employer's health and well-being program made the school an exceptional place to work. Employers can go a step further in marketing their health and wellness offerings to applicants and candidates by promoting a culture of health.