Hidden danger of wellness programs
With more companies adopting wellness plans, employers need to be careful what they ask for — and how they ask for it.
Health Risk Assessments, or surveys on workers’ personal habits and family histories, are used to direct workers into employer-sponsored wellness programs like weight-loss or smoking cessation.
Because of poor response after asking workers to voluntarily complete assessments, many companies are now requiring employees to fill out the surveys to be eligible for a health plan.
Though the questionnaires are confidential, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is questioning the legality of such assessments.
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires any questions about disabilities or medical exams to be “job-related and consistent with business necessity.” The EEOC hasn’t taken an official stand, but the office believes that forcing employees to fill out assessments is in violation of the Act.
Experts say with rising healthcare costs and a weak economy, more employers may switch to penalizing workers for not completing wellness surveys, which could mean future legal problems for businesses.
We’ll keep you posted.
- Share on
Free Training & Resources
White Papers
Provided by Anaplan
Webinars
Provided by Yooz
Further Reading
A Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rule that would ban non-compete clauses is scheduled to be finalized in April and go into effect soon afte...
CFOs and benefits professionals can only do so much to influence employees to invest in a company 401(k) plan. So-called influencers are of...
In a final rule, the Department of Homeland Security increased the penalties for violations of federal immigration law. With enforcement...
If your company’s employees are like most, they’d score a big fat F on a financial literacy test. Every year, the Teachers ...
When you think about the latest overtime news, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the recent federal court decision that vacate...
Employers will see clearer control over pharmacy benefit costs and their impact on the income statement, with Finance and HR sharing more e...
