Voluntary workplace genomic testing is any form of genetic or genomic testing offered through a workplace wellness program (Sanghavi et al., 2022). Different types of tests offered through workplace wellness programs include, but are not limited to, ancestry testing, pharmacogenomic variant analysis, and inherited cancer or cardiac syndromes (Mcdonald et al., 2020).

There is no solitary definition of what a workplace wellness program is (Mujtaba & Cavico, 2013). The accepted definition we use is “an employer-sponsored program to promote employee wellness in hopes of reducing healthcare costs, and improving productivity” (Sanghavi et al., 2022). Examples include: smoking cessation assistance, biometric screening, and gym memberships (Mujtaba & Cavico, 2013).

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act states that employers can access aggregate genetic data collected as part of voluntary wellness programs (GINA, 2008). Access to employee health information is covered in part by multiple entities, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Affordable Care Act, and various state laws, yet it is unclear whether the combination of these laws and acts create an appropriate safety net from employer and insurance carrier misuse of data (Jost, 2015; Sanghavi et al., 2022).

ELSI stands for Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications. In research, ELSI exploration includes multiple disciplines and frequently applies to developing areas of science and technology. In the United States, ELSI research specifically concerns studying the ELSI of genetics and genomics (Dolan, 2020). For example, the ELSI Research Program of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health is an ELSI program that was initially created to explore the ELSI of mapping and sequencing the human genome (Dolan, 2020).

This is an area still under exploration! But some possible benefits are the opportunity of finding a medically relevant genetic change that is actionable thereby giving the employee the chance to improve their health and lower insurance premiums for their employers, as well increasing access to genetic testing (Sanghavi et al., 2022). Additionally, it has been shown that employees are interested in the workplace as an avenue for testing (Sanghavi et al., 2021). Possible harms of voluntary workplace genomic testing include risks to employee genetic privacy and risk for genetic discrimination (Sanghavi et al., 2022).