Unlocking the Value of Employee Wellness: HSI Research Points the Way Forward

On July 24, 2025, Professor Joe Doyle, along with HSI industry research collaborators, delivered a webinar called “Unlocking the Value of Employee Wellness” as part of MIT’s Industrial Liaison Program’s (ILP) Leading Edge Seminar series. His talk focused on how workplace wellness programs can move from good intentions to proven results. You can see the webinar on Youtube:

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Why Employee Wellness Matters
Companies have long offered programs to help employees stay healthy — fitness classes, nutrition coaching, mental health apps, and chronic disease support. These benefits are now a significant business: the global corporate wellness industry earned $42 billion in 2022 (half of which was in the U.S.) and is expected to grow to approximately $100 billion by 2033.

Employees increasingly expect these programs, and employers hope to gain healthier, more productive workforces and lower healthcare costs. But there’s a catch: despite all this investment, solid evidence proving what truly works is surprisingly scarce.

HSI’s Approach: Science Over Guesswork
Doyle leads MIT’s HSI Lab on Employee Population Health, which partners with large companies that pay their own healthcare costs. Together they run carefully designed studies — not just surveys or anecdotes — to answer a deceptively simple question: Which programs actually help employees and save money?

The Lab uses three tools:

• Behavioral science to understand what motivates people.
• Randomized trials that test programs in real workplaces.
• Advanced analytics to see which efforts pay off.

One clear finding: even excellent programs fail if enough people don’t sign up. In one experiment, the Lab tested whether changing the invitation made a difference. Instead of saying “Would you like to join?” they told employees, “You’re already enrolled—get started today.” This small change tripled participation among men and doubled it among women.

Partner Insights: Digital Health in Action
Two HSI research partners shared their experiences during the webinar.

Well.co utilizes artificial intelligence to deliver personalized concierge health services on a large scale. By combining medical records, wearable device data, and personal input, their platform provides tailored recommendations. The results: higher participation, lower healthcare costs (about six percent less than similar groups), and strong employee satisfaction scores.

Amwell SilverCloud offers digital mental health programs, primarily online cognitive behavioral therapy, used by more than 1.7 million people worldwide. In Ireland’s National Health Service, SilverCloud achieved a 67% activation rate and helped half of users with depression or anxiety reach recovery levels. These programs also improved employees’ performance at work.

Both companies stand out because they gather real data and measure what’s working rather than relying on assumptions.

Turning Complex Data into Clear Answers
MIT Sloan PhD student Brian Liu explained how the HSI Lab works with SilverCloud to predict who benefits most from digital mental health tools. Liu designed powerful machine-learning models to identify patterns, then simplified these models so that employers and program designers can understand the key drivers of success. This helps companies target the right programs to the right people.

Looking Ahead
Professor Doyle closed with an invitation to employers: share your de-identified data, test new ideas, and let our rigorous research guide your wellness investments. Upcoming projects will explore innovative financial incentives, supporting employees’ participation during work hours, and improving follow-up messages after annual health assessments.