Corporate wellness programs are a great way to show employees you care. Over three quarters of the workforce say they want their employers to have a wellness program or at least a wellness challenge, and studies show that an effective wellness program can increase participants’ overall health. However, not all wellness programs are created equal. Some employers have wellness programs that don’t involve recurring engagement. These sorts of programs ask employees to complete activities once a year. We, at IncentFit, call this “check the boxes” wellness because employees can complete the requirements in December and get their reward. Employees can essentially “check the boxes” without creating any meaningful habit change.
What’s the Problem?
These “check the boxes” programs typically require employees to fill out a healthy risk assessment (HRA) or get health screenings. Many times employers even offer considerable incentives for employees to do these things. The problem is that employees aren’t encouraged to actually live a healthy lifestyle or internalize any of the risk factors that come up in their assessments and screenings. Offering incentvies for this type of program is almost always going to be a waste of money.
How to Create Meaningful Engagement
Recurring engagement is essential for an effective wellness program because it promotes habit change. Healthy habits are the cornerstone of good health! The best way to have recurring engagement in your wellness program is by rewarding employees for completing healthy activities on an everyday basis! You can do this in a number of ways:
- Holding competitive challenges – having employees compete against each other in various wellness activities such as step challenges.
- Incentivizing habits– providing incentives for reaching wellness related goals like going to the gym at least twice a week (you can also provide wellness challenge prizes that encourage healthier eating habits).
- Hosting group activities – Working out as a group is extremely motivating! There are some important considerations and trade-offs to keep in mind if you choose to decide a group challenge, or personal challenge.
Sometimes employers don’t incorporate recurring engagement within their programs because they think it will be expensive. They also think that it can be difficult to administer. That’s not true! We specialize in making these types of programs affordable and easy. The incentives to employees are always capped and employers only pay when employees actually complete healthy activities, creating a Guaranteed Return on Investment (ROI).
Recurring engagement is the most effective way to improve healthy habits amongst employees. It doesn’t require a lot of effort or money. Attract employees with a wellness program scientifically proven to work. Call Incentfit today!
