Managers' Support for Employee Wellness Programs: An Integrative Review

Objective: The aim of this integrative literature review is to synthesize the existing evidence regarding managers' support for employee wellness programs. Data Source: The search utilized multiple electronic databases and libraries. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Inclusion criteria comprised peer-reviewed research published in English, between 1990 and 2016, and examining managers' support in the context of a worksite intervention. The final sample included 21 articles for analysis. Data Extraction: Two researchers extracted and described results from each of the included articles using a content analysis. Data Synthesis: Two researchers independently rated the quality of the included articles. Researchers synthesized data into a summary table by study design, sample, data collected, key findings, and quality rating. Results: Factors that may influence managers' support include their organization's management structure, senior leadership support, their expected roles, training on health topics, and their beliefs and attitudes toward wellness programs and employee health. Managers' support may influence the organizational culture, employees' perception of support, and employees' behaviors. Conclusions: When designing interventions, health promotion practitioners and researchers should consider strategies that target senior, middle, and line managers' support. Interventions need to include explicit measures of managers' support as part of the evaluation plan.