Employee wellness programs promote employee behavior and organizational practices that ensure employee health. Unlike disease prevention, wellness programs are based on the premise that wellness is more than the mere absence of disease. These programs attempt to encourage individuals to adopt lifestyles that maximize overall well-being.

While stress management may be a component, EWPs also deal with nonstress issues, such as obesity, nutrition, and smoking cessation. Interest in health promotion and fitness is very strong. Some common health promotion activities are exercise/fitness, smoking cessation, and stress management.