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Corporate health with genetic analyses: a guide for employers, HR and workplace-health providers

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 15 October 2026 · Reading time: 7 min

In short

Genetic analyses can give employees a very personal way into nutrition, exercise and recovery – as long as one rule is set in stone: the company pays, and only the person whose genes were analyzed gets the result. Participation is voluntary, the saliva sample goes straight to the lab, and the employer receives neither individual results nor aggregated genetic reports. Lifestyle analyses are at the center; medical analyses run only through a physician. Germany (Section 19 GenDG), Austria (Section 67 GTG) and Switzerland (Art. 37 GUMG) prohibit employers from requiring genetic tests or using their results; in Switzerland, an authorized health professional also has to prescribe the analysis. This guide walks you through concept, law and implementation in three chapters.

The interest is there – trust is what matters

Would employees take a genetic test through their employer? A US research group asked 2,000 working adults exactly that. 54.1% were interested in workplace genetic testing. They endorsed reasons for testing – such as using the results to guide their own health behavior – more often than reasons against, such as concerns about insurance or employability. And among those whose employer offered such a test, 60% had taken it (Blasco et al., Journal of Community Genetics 2026).

The logical conclusion: curiosity about one’s own genes is high. Whether it turns into a good health offer depends on a single question – do employees trust that their results stay with them?

I am a molecular biologist and founded Novogenia in 2009. Since then, we have performed more than 30 million analyses in our own lab in Eugendorf near Salzburg, Austria. With this guide, I want to show employers, HR teams, company physicians and workplace health promotion providers what a voluntary, confidential offer with genetic analyses and personalized supplements looks like – and where its limits are.

The principle: the company pays for the gym, but never looks at the scale

Imagine your company pays for a gym membership for every employee. Who goes, how often and what the scale shows there is none of the company’s business. That is exactly how a genetic analysis works in corporate health: the company makes the offer possible and gets the invoice – only the person whose genes were analyzed gets the result.

Four principles follow from this, and they run through the whole guide:

Voluntary: everyone decides for themselves whether to take part. Those who do not take part face no disadvantage.
Confidential: employees register themselves, the saliva sample goes straight to the lab and the report straight to the person. The employer receives no individual results and no aggregated genetic reports either.
Supported: a report on its own changes little. Talks, workshops and voluntary one-to-one counseling turn knowledge into everyday habits.
Lifestyle first: the focus is on lifestyle analyses of nutrition and weight, sports and performance, stress and recovery, and skin. Medical analyses belong in a physician’s hands – kept separate from occupational health screenings.

What this means in detail, and what a genetic analysis adds to workplace health, is explained in Genetic analyses at work: the concept.

The law in brief: three countries, one basic rule

Germany, Austria and Switzerland share the same basic rule: the employer may not require genetic tests and may not use their results. The details differ:

Germany: the employer may neither require employees to undergo genetic examinations or analyses nor receive or use their results (Section 19 GenDG). Employees who decline a test must not be put at a disadvantage for it (Section 21 GenDG).
Austria: the ban explicitly covers the employer’s agents and staff and extends to demanding or accepting body substances for genetic analysis (Section 67(1) GTG). That is why saliva samples never pass through the company.
Switzerland: employers may neither require genetic tests outside the medical field nor make use of such data (Art. 37 GUMG). There is also a special rule for the analysis itself: only an authorized health professional may prescribe a lifestyle analysis, and the saliva sample is collected in their presence (Art. 34 GUMG). A home kit is therefore not an option.

In the EU, the GDPR adds another layer: genetic data are among the specially protected categories of data (Art. 9 GDPR). In Switzerland, the Data Protection Act also classifies genetic data as particularly sensitive (Art. 5 FADP). Chapter 2 covers the details. For a thorough overview of all three countries with a comparison table, see the article Corporate health programs with genetic analyses in the longevity guide.

Who this guide is for

Management and employers: you want to give your team a personal health offer without looking into health data. Start with the concept.
HR teams and workplace-health managers: you plan the offer, the invitation and the evaluation. Helpful reads are Which offers suit employees, Rollout and Measuring benefits and impact.
Company physicians: your role in medical analyses and the clear line separating them from occupational health screenings are described in The role of the occupational physician.
Works councils and data protection officers: who may see what, and how consent stays voluntary, is covered in Data protection and confidentiality of results.
Workplace-health providers, insurers and consultants: genetic analyses as a building block of your programs, under your own brand on request – see For workplace-health providers, insurers and consultants.

One thing up front: a good program promises neither health outcomes nor cost savings. It offers something else – a voluntary, personal offer that sparks curiosity, nudges habits and shows that the company invests in its people’s health.

All chapters at a glance

You will also find all 10 articles, sorted by chapter, at the end of this page.

How we do it at Novogenia

How we run corporate health programs at Novogenia:

No employer access: with lifestyle analyses, the employer gets no insight into genetic results – not even aggregated reports.
Medical analyses only through a physician: medical prevention analyses are possible only if the company has a company physician with the qualifications national law requires. Apart from the person tested, only that physician sees the result – never the employer.
Our own lab: we analyze every saliva sample in our own lab in Eugendorf near Salzburg, Austria; the analysis takes 4 days. The lab is CLIA-certified and works according to ISO 15189, plus ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 22000:2018, certified by Quality Austria.
Report straight to the person: digitally via a secure portal, in up to 18 languages – practical for international workforces.
Together with partners: Novogenia sells exclusively through partners and runs employee programs together with companies or their workplace-health partners – under the partner’s brand on request.

Frequently asked questions

Does the employer see the results of the genetic analyses?

No. With lifestyle analyses, the employer gets no insight into genetic results, neither individually nor in aggregate. The law requires this too: in Germany, the employer may neither receive nor use the results of genetic examinations (Section 19 GenDG); in Austria, the ban also covers the employer’s agents and staff (Section 67(1) GTG); and in Switzerland, the employer may not make use of such data (Art. 37 GUMG).

Is participation voluntary?

Yes, always. The employer may not require genetic tests. In Germany, the employer may not put employees at a disadvantage for declining a test either (Section 21 GenDG). So the company should communicate clearly that participation is voluntary, never tie benefits to results, and make sure that incentives for taking part do not create pressure.

Which analyses are suitable for employees?

Lifestyle analyses on nutrition, weight and metabolism, stress and recovery, sports and performance, and skin. They show predispositions, not diagnoses. In Switzerland, analyses of food intolerances or the risk of sports injuries belong to the medical field (Art. 37(2) GUMV) and therefore have no place in a lifestyle program there.

How long does it take to get results?

The lab analysis at Novogenia takes 4 days. Add the time until the saliva sample is collected and the shipping time. Each person receives their report digitally via a secure portal, in up to 18 languages.

Can workplace-health providers and insurers offer such programs?

Yes. Novogenia sells exclusively through partners, for example through a partner shop of their own or under the partner’s brand (white label). For insurers, the same principle applies as for employers: the member gets their results, the insurer only gets the invoice. More on this in the article for workplace-health providers, insurers and consultants.

A health offer for your team?

Tell us about your company – we will show you how a voluntary offer for your employees could look.

Request a project →Corporate health in the longevity guide

Note: This guide is general information for businesses and professionals and does not replace medical or legal advice. The genetic traits determined in a genetic analysis are well documented (each gene included is backed by at least three independent studies); recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted.