Making the Right Investment: Employee Health and the Power of Metrics

The report highlights the lack of standardized metrics for workplace wellness and the difficulty in calculating a consistent return on investment (ROI) globally. Through the Workplace Wellness Alliance, data was collected from 25 companies covering nearly 2 million employees across 125 countries to establish a global baseline of health indicators. Key findings indicate that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) significantly impact global productivity, with an estimated cost of over US$ 30 trillion over two decades. The report argues that comprehensive, holistic programmes—incorporating nutrition, physical activity, and mental health support—can reduce healthcare costs, lower absenteeism, and improve employee engagement. Case studies demonstrate specific successes, such as Johnson & Johnson's tobacco-free policies in Japan and Unilever's mental resilience pilots in Brazil and Egypt. The document concludes by transitioning the leadership of the Alliance to the Institute for Health and Productivity Management (IHPM) to further develop global benchmark standards.

• Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent a massive global economic threat, with projections that they will cost more than US$ 30 trillion over the next two decades, which is 48% of the 2010 global GDP.
• There is a significant global deficiency in standardized metrics and methods for calculating the return on investment (ROI) for workplace wellness, which complicates the ability of companies to scientifically justify these investments to senior management.
• Data from the Workplace Wellness Alliance's 2012 collection, covering nearly 2 million employees in 125 countries, shows that approximately one in ten employees globally are at serious health risk due to obesity (BMI above 30).
• Smoking cessation programmes are among the most mature workplace wellness initiatives; data shows that employees in locations with programmes running for more than five years have lower smoking rates than those in locations with shorter-term programmes.
• Mental health is a critical but difficult-to-measure area of wellness; while stress is often the top health risk driving programmes, only 12.3% of surveyed company locations could provide a percentage of employees reporting stress.
• The use of technology, such as e-coaching and web-based platforms, is a cost-effective alternative to live coaching and can lead to statistically significant reductions in health risks.
• Case studies demonstrate diverse ROI outcomes: Johnson & Johnson's tobacco-free initiative in Japan increased productivity time by an estimated US$ 3.9 million per year, and Unilever's mental health support in Brazil projected a reduction in medical costs and productivity losses of US$ 1,217,300.
• Incentivization strategies, including financial rewards and premium discounts, are effective at motivating healthy behaviours, though sustainable long-term change requires a supportive environment beyond monetary incentives.
• Holistic wellness programmes can lead to significant improvements in employee retention and attendance; for example, Novartis Singapore reported a 5% decrease in voluntary turnover and a 20-40% fall in absence rates at two of its sites.

APA

World Economic Forum (2013). Making the Right Investment: Employee Health and the Power of Metrics. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_HE_WorkplaceWellnessAlliance_Report_2013.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Making the Right Investment: Employee Health and the Power of Metrics. 2013. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_HE_WorkplaceWellnessAlliance_Report_2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Making the Right Investment: Employee Health and the Power of Metrics |date=January 2013 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_HE_WorkplaceWellnessAlliance_Report_2013.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2013making, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Making the Right Investment: Employee Health and the Power of Metrics}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2013}, month = jan, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_HE_WorkplaceWellnessAlliance_Report_2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }