Wellness360 report finds employers are replacing wellness vendors to fix engagement gaps

Wellness360 says its new 2026 Workplace Wellness Program Insights Report is based on 185 real buyer conversations, not a survey, and shows employers are focused on engagement, reporting and security. The findings suggest many wellness programs fail because the platform bought is not the one employees actually use.

Why it matters: - Workplace wellness buying decisions are being shaped by actual program use, not just feature checklists. - The report suggests a persistent gap between the wellness program employers purchase and the one employees adopt. - That gap affects engagement, ROI expectations, accessibility and security reviews.

What happened: - Wellness360 published its Workplace Wellness Program Insights Report on Sept. 22, 2026. - The report is based on 185 real conversations with HR and benefits leaders during program evaluations, launches and check-ins. - The data comes from buyer discussions, not a fixed survey. - Wellness360 says the report looks at how employers evaluate and manage workplace wellness programs.

The details: - 64.5% of employers evaluating a new wellness platform are replacing an existing vendor. - The most common reason for switching is that the current program stopped driving real engagement. - Reporting and ROI proof was the top priority in the study, cited by 44% of employers. - Employers split 50/50 on whether data security review is a mandatory, deal-blocking requirement. - Government employers required security review in 100% of cases cited in the report. - Education employers required security review in 0% of cases cited in the report. - No wellness platform deal in the study was lost outright to a failed security review. - The documented impact of security review was delay, not a lost sale. - Digital literacy was the most-cited accessibility barrier employers reported. - The most common fix employers asked for was multilingual, native-language content.

Between the lines: - The findings point to a market where engagement is the real buying problem. - Employers appear to care less about adding more features and more about whether employees will actually use the program. - The security-review data suggests compliance checks may slow deals without stopping them. - The accessibility results show a mismatch between the barrier employers identify and the solution they request. - Srini Vanukuri, founder of Wellness360, said the recurring pattern was the gap between what employers buy and what employees use. - Christopher Baker, health and performance consultant at HUB International, said engagement should be designed into the strategy from the start.

What's next: - The complete Workplace Wellness Program Insights Report is available now. - Organizations can schedule time with the Wellness360 team to discuss the findings. - Wellness360 is positioning the report as a guide for employers evaluating wellness platforms and program design.

The bottom line: - Wellness360’s report argues that workplace wellness wins or loses on engagement, not just product features.