HERO Scorecard Completers

1. Learn about the Scorecard: Visit hero-health.org and review the HERO Health and Well-being Best Practices Scorecard documentation to understand the assessment framework and what it covers.

1. Assemble your team: Identify the key internal stakeholders who will contribute to the assessment — typically HR leaders, benefits managers, and corporate wellness coordinators who have visibility into your organization's health programs.

1. Access the Scorecard: Register or log in at the HERO website to access the online Scorecard tool. The assessment is free to complete for all organizations.

1. Complete the self-assessment: Work through the Scorecard's sections covering organizational support, leadership, programs and interventions, program integration, and measurement and evaluation. Gather supporting documentation (e.g., wellness program descriptions, participation data) to inform your responses.

1. Submit your responses: Once all sections are completed, submit the Scorecard online. Your responses are scored automatically and benchmarked against aggregate data from other participating organizations.

1. Review your results: Receive your benchmarking report, which highlights your organization's strengths and gaps relative to industry peers and best practices.

1. Earn Completer recognition: Upon submission, your organization is recognized as a HERO Scorecard Completer and may display the associated badge or seal.

1. Plan for continuous improvement: Use the insights from your results to prioritize program enhancements, and plan to re-complete the Scorecard annually to track progress over time.

The HERO Health and Well-being Best Practices Scorecard evaluates organizations across four primary domains that reflect the breadth of a comprehensive workplace health strategy.

Organizational and Cultural Support examines whether leadership actively champions employee health, whether health and well-being is embedded in organizational values and policies, and whether the physical and social work environment supports healthy behaviors. This includes policies on tobacco, healthy food access, physical activity, and work-life balance.

Programs and Interventions assesses the range and quality of health promotion programs offered to employees, including health screenings, chronic disease management, mental health support, physical activity programs, nutrition initiatives, and financial wellness offerings. The depth and reach of these programs — including whether they extend to dependents — are also evaluated.

Program Integration looks at how well the organization's health and well-being efforts are coordinated across benefits, occupational health, EAP, and other relevant functions. Integration with the broader business strategy and HR systems is also considered.

Measurement and Evaluation evaluates whether the organization systematically tracks participation, health outcomes, and program ROI. This includes use of health risk assessments, biometric screenings, employee surveys, and data analytics to guide program decisions.

Each section is scored, and the total score is benchmarked against aggregate data from hundreds of other organizations that have completed the Scorecard, enabling peer comparison by industry, size, and geography.

The HERO Scorecard occupies a well-established niche in the employer health and well-being space as a free, research-grounded benchmarking tool developed by a respected nonprofit think tank. Since its introduction, it has been completed by thousands of organizations across the United States, making it one of the most widely used self-assessment frameworks in corporate wellness. Its primary appeal is the combination of zero cost, academic credibility, and access to a national benchmarking database — advantages that few competing tools can match simultaneously.

In terms of market positioning, the HERO Scorecard sits alongside tools like the American Heart Association's Workplace Health Achievement Index and WELCOA's Well Workplace Designation, but differentiates itself through its nonprofit governance, research orientation, and the depth of its benchmarking database. Unlike some competitors that require membership fees or third-party audits, HERO's open-access model has driven broad adoption, particularly among large self-insured employers, health systems, and universities. However, its self-reported, unaudited nature means it carries less external credibility than third-party certified programs.

Demand for workplace wellness benchmarking tools has grown steadily, driven by rising healthcare costs, increased employer focus on mental health post-pandemic, and ESG reporting pressures that increasingly include employee well-being metrics. The HERO Scorecard is well-positioned to benefit from these trends, though it faces competition from more integrated platforms that combine assessment with program management and analytics. Its reputation as a research-backed, vendor-neutral tool gives it enduring relevance among benefits professionals who prioritize evidence-based practice over marketing-driven wellness programs.

The Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) was founded in 1996 by a coalition of large employers, health plans, and academic researchers who recognized the need for a neutral, research-driven body to advance the science and practice of workplace health promotion. At a time when corporate wellness programs were proliferating but lacked rigorous evaluation frameworks, HERO was established to fill that gap — providing employers with evidence-based guidance and a common language for measuring program quality.

The HERO Scorecard was developed as a practical tool to translate HERO's research findings into an actionable self-assessment framework for employers. It has undergone multiple revisions over the years to reflect evolving best practices, incorporating new domains such as mental health, financial well-being, and organizational culture as the field matured. The Scorecard's national benchmarking database has grown substantially over time, with data from thousands of organizational submissions enabling increasingly robust peer comparisons. HERO has also published research using Scorecard data in peer-reviewed journals, further cementing its credibility as a research-based organization. Today, HERO operates as a nonprofit think tank with a membership model that includes employers, health plans, consultants, and vendors, and continues to update the Scorecard to reflect the latest evidence in employee health and well-being.