WORKPLACE WELLNESS PROGRAMS IN INDIA AND ITS IMPACT ON EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND PRODUCTIVITY: A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE

Workplace Wellness Programs (WWPs) have emerged as an important facet of the workplace, seeking to enhance employees’ health, curb healthcare costs, and increase productivity. WWPs have become a pervasive feature of the corporate workplaces in the United States, with nine out of ten employers furnishing some form of health promotion benefit. India is a country of rapid economic growth, where the burden of diseases as well as demanding working hours in corporate and other sectors means the implementation of WWPs is essential to address workers’ health, organizational productivity, and socio-economic welfare. These programs comprise a wide range of interventions, including regular health screening, fitness centers, nutritional counselling, stress management, and a comprehensive mental health support system. This paper explores the legal frameworks, ranging from traditional Factories Act, 1948, to modern compliance policies, such as the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. The study also includes an analysis of the link between wellness initiatives and their effect on employee productivity and attendance records. Finally, this research paper also delves into critical legal contexts, such as digital personal data protection. Act, 2023 (DPDP Act)), liabilities, workplace intrusion, and the need for a rights-based model and evidence-based approach to make wellness programs a future success.