The Wall Street Journal: Your Company Wants to Make You Healthy

[intro]Employer wellness programs used to mean just having a gym in the office or posters on the wall encouraging people to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Now more companies are using real money, and sometimes penalties, as incentives for workers to get in better shape.[/intro]

Nearly 90% of employers offer wellness incentives, or financial rewards or prizes to employees who work toward getting healthier, according to a recent survey from Fidelity Investments and the National Business Group on Health. That’s up from 57% of companies in 2009. The perks are also worth more now: $521 per employee on average, compared with $260 four years ago.

“They feel that if they pay more they’ll get a better result,” says Adam Stavisky, a Fidelity benefits consultant.

But is that true? Which incentives work, and which ones don’t?

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