In order to drive profitability and performance, 87% ofemployers relied on wellness programs in 2012, up from 75% in 2010,according to the latest report from Buck Consultants.

The report, titled “Working Well: A Global Survey of HealthPromotion and Workplace Wellness Strategies,” finds employersfrom all locations say improving worker productivity and reducingpresenteeism (at work while sick) are their top wellness programobjectives.

“With productivity having a direct tie to bottom-line revenue,organizations now consider health promotion as a core businessvalue that positively impacts their ability to compete,” said DaveRatcliffe, principal of Cincinnati-based Buck Consultants. “Withsigns of job market improvement emerging in the U.S., employerswill be challenged to maintain productivity gains earned during therecession as employees have increased job mobility.”

Only 36% of respondents report measuring specific outcomes oftheir wellness programs. Reasons respondents fail to do so are lackof resources at 68% and not knowing how to measure at 34%.Respondents from larger organizations are more likely to measureoutcomes.

Still, only 47% of respondents from organizations with at least20,000 employees measure specific outcomes, Buck Consultants said.Among respondents who measure wellness program outcomes, 30% saythey placed greater emphasis on wellness programs during the tougheconomy.

“Employers who measure program outcomes do so with a greaterfocus on driving business results,” Ratcliffe said. “A healthierwork force is a more productive work force, which produces greaterrevenue that is sustainable over the long term. So these employersunderstand the value of continuing their wellness initiatives evenduring hard economic times.”

Another 23% of respondents say wellness programs have helped cutcosts of offering health care coverage. Within that sector ofrespondents, 62% say their health care cost trend rate reductionswere two percentage points or more while 13% say they were sixpercentage points or more.

When it comes to globalization, 49% of respondents promoteworldwide health promotion strategies, an increase from 34% in2008. Program focus can vary by geographic region, but mostrespondents say physical activity, stress and workplace safety arethe three primary issues influencing wellness program design.

The survey also reveals that incentives have a directcorrelation to program participation; however, initiatives thatrequire lifestyle changes, such as exercise and diet changes, areless impacted by incentives than more immediate programs, such ashealth assessments and biometric screenings.

This article was originall posted at BenefitsPro.com, a sister siteof Credit Union Times.