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Workplace Wellness Programs Have Little Benefit, Studies Find

Five takeaways:

From mindfulness seminars to massage classes to sleep apps, employee mental health services are a billion-dollar industry. But a recent study of over 46k workers suggests these services don’t necessarily improve well-being, when compared to colleagues who don’t participate.

1. The study examined 90 distinct interventions enabled by in-office mental health services and made an intriguing discovery: among all of the services offered there was one notable exception– only one mental health service that showed consistent boosts in employee happiness: workers given opportunities for charity or volunteer work showed improved well-being.
2. This analysis suggests that employers concerned about workers’ mental health would do better to focus on “core organizational practices” like schedules, pay and performance reviews.
3. However, doing away with these practices altogether may be an overcorrection. These findings do not change the fact that practices like mindfulness can have a positive effect. Controlled studies have consistently demonstrated lower stress and decreased anxiety and depression after mindfulness training.
4. Founders of office mental health companies are understandably critical of the survey’s findings, saying that it does not allow respondents to adequately track progress over extended periods of time.
5. A key takeaway from the findings are that while mental health programs in the office may provide positive pathways for growth, they will not allay the mental burden of burnout, low pay, and poor culture.

From Ellen Barry at The New York Times:
Read the whole story.

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