Employee Perspectives on Genetic Testing in the Workplace: Results from a National Survey

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Occupational Health
• Bioethics

Background:

• Workplace wellness programs increasingly offer genetic testing.
• Ethical, legal, and social implications of workplace genetic testing (wGT) are significant.
• Employee perspectives on wGT are largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate employee beliefs and concerns regarding workplace genetic testing.
• To understand employee perceptions of employer motivations for offering wGT.
• To assess employee privacy concerns related to genetic information in the workplace.

Main Methods:

• A national survey of 2,000 employed adults was conducted.
• Survey measures included beliefs, perceived employer motivations, and privacy concerns regarding wGT.
• Data analysis focused on employee attitudes and demographic associations.

Main Results:

• A majority of employees perceived health benefits from wGT and potential aid in recruitment/retention.
• Many employees suspected employers of prohibited motivations, like discriminatory insurance pricing.
• Significant privacy concerns were reported, with 37% uncomfortable with employer genetic data collection and high rates of concern about data protection and sharing.

Conclusions:

• Employees recognize potential health advantages of wGT but have significant privacy concerns.
• Awareness of legal protections against employer misuse of genetic information is limited.
• Recommendations include enhanced employee education, informed consent, and robust safeguarding of genetic data.