Voluntary workplace genomic testing: wellness benefit or Pandora’s box?

Consumer interest in genetic and genomic testing is growing rapidly, with more than 26 million Americans having purchased direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing services¹. The global consumer genetic testing market is anticipated to exceed $2.5 billion by 2025^1,2,3,4. Capitalizing on the increasing comfort of consumers with genetic testing outside the clinical environment, commercial vendors are expanding their customer bases by marketing genetic and genomic testing services, including testing for pharmacogenomic and pathogenic variants, to employers for inclusion in workplace wellness programs. For the purposes of this paper, voluntary workplace genomic testing (wGT) refers to both genetic and genomic testing offered by vendors through voluntary workplace wellness programs, as the full range of testing offered through such programs has not been robustly studied to date. Workplace wellness programs commonly include features like health risk assessments, biometric testing and screening, smoking cessation programs, and gym and health-club memberships⁵. We describe the potential appeal of wGT to employers and employees, how the ethical, legal, and social implications (ELSI) literature has approached the...