Despite spending more on employee wellness programmes in 2010, only 37 percent of US employers actually measure their programme’s effectiveness, a global survey released today indicates.“Working Well: A Global Survey of Health Promotion and Workplace Wellness Strategies,” released by Buck Consultants, found that employers spent 35 percent more about $220 on each employee who participated in a wellness programme compared to 2009.These results were among the key findings of Buck’s fourth annual global wellness survey which analysed responses from more than 1,200 organisations in 47 countries representing more than 13 million employees.“Organisations that measure the impact of their wellness programmes are more successful at improving their employees’ health and overall wellness,” said Barry Hall, a Buck principal who directed the survey. “However, many simply don’t know how to measure their results, or they don’t have the resources to do so.”Wellness programmes continued to gain momentum this year among US-based organisations as a key strategy to reduce the cost of providing health care, improve worker productivity, and reduce absenteeism. Globally, improving productivity is the most important objective for wellness programmes, with improving workforce morale and engagement rising from the third to the second most important objective.Among US respondents, 40 percent have measured how wellness programmes affect the cost of providing health care benefits to their employees. Of those, 45 percent report success in slowing health care cost increases, with a typical reduction of two to five percentage points per year.The US results contrast with results in other regions on the health risks that drive wellness programmes. Globally, reducing workplace stress is the top driver of wellness programmes, particularly in Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and Africa.