Dive Brief:
- As a part of its "Be well, work well" initiative, PwC will encourage American employees to participate in the company's "Day on the Move" by taking a 15-minute break for an activity on Oct. 2. More than 12,000 have signed up, according to PwC in an email to HR Dive.
- The professional services company said "Be well, work well" is designed to energize workers and equip them with the tools and support to improve their well-being. The program focuses on four core areas for employee well-being: mental attentiveness, emotional engagement, physical sustainment and spiritual inspiration, PwC said.
- PwC said it will donate a pair of Bombas socks to homeless veterans across the country for every program participant. The company also will give all participants a redemption code to receive their own pair of Bombas socks.
Dive Insight:
PwC's movement initiative keeps pace with a larger corporate wellness trend. A 2017 Virgin Pulse survey found that 78% of employers viewed employee well-being as a critical part of doing business. Almost three quarters of respondents also said holistic wellness programs increase employee satisfaction. The payoff of such programs has been called into question, however. While most of employers said they think their wellness programs encourage employees to carry out healthier lifestyles, only 32% of employees said they agree with that statement, according to a report from Willis Towers Watson.
Employers may need to improve the selection of wellness programs they offer, research suggests. A separate Willis Towers Watson survey released earlier this year found that most workers don't believe their employers' well-being programs meet their needs. Another report, by the Campbell Institute, found that workers want wellbeing programs that offer things like flu shots, stress management classes and overtime management rather than fitness and nutrition initiatives.