JOEM: Barriers to Participation in Workplace Wellness Programs (August 2022)-JOEM: Barriers to Participation in Workplace Wellness Programs (August 2022)

JOEM: Barriers to Participation in Workplace Wellness Programs (August 2022)

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Workplace wellness programs are growing in popularity but may be inaccessible and discriminatory towards people with disabilities. A study investigated the experiences of workers with disabilities with barriers to accessing workplace wellness programs. The study found that the largest barriers to participation are lack of access to careers dominated by large employers who offer better employee benefits and issues regarding barriers to access within those employers. This indicates that there are significant barriers preventing people with disabilities from fully participating in the workplace. Workplace wellness programs aim to improve the mental, physical, and overall health of employees through various initiatives such as health screenings and educational programs. However, the efficacy of these programs is debated, with limited long-term follow-up studies on their benefits. Critics also raise concerns about ethics and legality, particularly in relation to discrimination against employees with disabilities. Workplace wellness programs often rely on incentives to increase participation, but these incentives can be coercive and discriminatory. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) limit incentives and the disclosure of personal health information. However, high punitive measures in some programs can result in forced medical disclosure and discrimination against employees with disabilities. Moreover, wellness programs often promote a culture of health that may not fully consider the challenges faced by people with disabilities in achieving and maintaining good health. In order to fully integrate people with disabilities into the workforce, barriers to participation in workplace wellness programs need to be identified and addressed.

Keywords

Workplace wellness programs

people with disabilities

accessibility

barriers to participation

large employers

employee benefits

discrimination

ethics and legality

incentives

culture of health