While more employers are offering workplace wellness initiatives, many miss the mark on gauging their impact, finds Buffett & Company’s 5th National Wellness Survey. Responses were obtained from more than 600 organizations on key wellness issues and workplace programs. The survey states that 91 per cent of organizations said they offer wellness initiatives. This represents a steady increase from 44 per cent in 1997, when the survey was first conducted. The survey found that among wellness issues, stress is a growing concern for employers. Respondents identified work-related stress as the number one health risk for their organizations, followed by mental health issues, high blood pressure and non-work-related stress.

Yet employers don’t always focus their wellness strategies on implementing targeted programs to reduce these risks. The study says there is a disconnect between the wellness initiatives that employers offer – the top three are employee assistance programs, first aid/CPR courses and flu shot programs – and the main health risks that their organizations face.

The study says that the majority of companies (62 per cent) do not evaluate their wellness initiatives to determine whether or not they are effective.