NEW YORK: A long-running and well-respected workplace wellness program at PepsiCo that encourages employees to adopt healthier habits has not reduced healthcare costs, according to the most comprehensive evaluation of a such a program ever published.
Released on Monday in the journal Health Affairs and based on data for thousands of PepsiCoemployees over seven years, the findings "cast doubt on the widely held belief" that workplace wellness programs save employers significantly more than they cost, conclude Soeren Mattke of theRAND Corporation and his co-authors. "Blanket claims of 'wellness saves money' are not warranted."