Selecting the right wellness vendors is one of the most important decisions HR leaders make. The right partner can boost employee engagement, improve well-being, and create measurable ROI. The wrong choice? Low participation, wasted spend, and frustrated employees.
The challenge is that today’s marketplace is crowded with health and wellness companies offering everything from mindfulness apps to gym stipends. Without a clear process, HR leaders often fall into common traps: choosing based on price alone, signing rigid contracts, or overlooking employee needs.
At IncentFit, we’ve seen the difference the right program makes. Across 360+ organizations, our wellness programs average 60% monthly participation (compared to <30% industry norms), with over $92M in incentives distributed. Engagement comes from building programs that employees actually use and avoiding the pitfalls that derail so many wellness initiatives. That’s why IncentFit offers customized free trials – designed around your workforce, your goals, and your program scope, so you can see exactly how it works before committing.
This guide will cover:
Even experienced HR leaders can stumble when evaluating health and wellness vendors, which can derail program success before it even begins. Below are the top pitfalls and how to avoid them when evaluating a wellness vendor.
Most wellness vendors won’t let you test the product beyond a short demo. Why? Because many platforms don’t have an elegant, user-friendly experience. Without a real trial, HR leaders have no way to see how employees will actually use the tool.
Best practice: Insist on a pilot or free trial. A true trial should:
If a vendor resists? That’s a red flag.
Many health and wellness companies push for multi-year contracts. But if engagement is low, you’re stuck. A good wellness platform should rely on value and usability to keep you, not restrictive terms.
Best practice: Start with flexible contracts. Ask vendors if they offer month-to-month or annual plans that scale with engagement.
Cheaper doesn’t mean better. A cut-rate vendor may lack incentive flexibility, reporting tools, or integrations. The result: low participation and frustrated admins. In fact, 72% of employers reported lower healthcare costs after implementing a thoughtfully designed program. Investing in a high-quality solution from the start ensures long-term ROI by improving employee health and reducing absenteeism.
Too many companies with corporate wellness programs build offerings in a vacuum. A “relevant” benefit isn’t just one HR thinks will work, it’s one employees will actually use.
Best practice: Run short surveys (5–7 questions) before selecting a program. Ask questions like:
This ensures the program reflects what employees want from wellness programs, not assumptions.
Any program that collects health information must comply with HIPAA and IRS wellness program regulations. Failing to vet a vendor’s security exposes your company to legal and financial risk.
Ask vendors about:
Every workforce is unique. Yet many health and wellness vendors sell rigid, cookie-cutter programs. These rarely scale as workforce demographics or company goals evolve.
Best practice: Look for flexible wellness programs that:
Customizable wellness programs lead to significantly higher engagement, as they can be tailored to company culture, workforce demographics, and specific health goals.
So what separates average health and wellness companies from those that deliver lasting impact? HR leaders evaluating wellness vendors should focus on these five critical factors to ensure long-term success and measurable impact:
A wellness program shouldn’t create more admin work. The best wellness platforms integrate with:
Integration reduces manual tracking, ensures accuracy, and provides real-time data.
A program is only as good as its workplace wellness participation. Look for vendors that use:
This ensures employees actually engage, not just sign up.
Without reporting, HR is flying blind. Your vendor should provide:
Data helps HR prove program impact and adjust strategy quickly
Rigid programs fail as companies evolve. A strong vendor should allow you to start small and expand:
Programs must work for everyone. The best health and wellness vendors ensure:
For more ideas on building inclusive fitness initiatives, check out our blog: How to Make Your Corporate Fitness Challenge More Inclusive.
This HR wellness guide is designed to give HR leaders a clear, actionable roadmap for evaluating and implementing the right wellness platform. Instead of vague advice, here’s a practical process you can actually follow:
Start with the “why.” Are you trying to reduce healthcare costs, improve retention, boost morale, or support DEI goals through inclusive wellness programming? Clear objectives ensure you evaluate health and wellness vendors against measurable outcomes, not just features.
Pro tip: Write down 2-3 success metrics upfront, like “increase preventive care compliance by 15%” or “achieve 50% workplace wellness participation in year one.”
A common mistake when choosing a wellness vendor is building programs without employee input. Run short surveys (5-7 questions max) to understand what employees want from wellness programs.
Ask questions like:
This feedback ensures the program feels relevant and personal.
Don’t settle for the first vendor you meet. Compare at least 3-5 health and wellness companies. Evaluate based on:
Pro tip: Use a scoring sheet to rank vendors side by side – it keeps the decision data-driven, not emotional.
This is where many HR leaders miss out. Most wellness vendors don’t offer trials because their platforms aren’t simple or user-friendly. Insist on a pilot that:
If a vendor can’t provide this, ask yourself: will my employees actually enjoy using it?
Any program dealing with health data must protect employee trust. Confirm the vendor:
This is a must-have, not a nice-to-have.
Wellness should be earned, not locked in. Avoid long-term commitments until you’ve proven value. Ask for contracts that allow:
The right vendor will rely on engagement and results to keep you, not legal terms.
Even the best wellness platform will fail if employees don’t know about it. Treat the rollout like a product launch:
The last step is ongoing. Use vendor dashboards to track workplace wellness participation, preventive care completions, and incentive ROI. Share highlights with employees (“Together, we logged 50,000 hydration goals last quarter!”) to build momentum.
Quarterly reviews help you decide what to keep, what to rotate, and what to expand. A good vendor will provide strategy support here, not just software.
Many health and wellness companies offer generic programs that fail to engage employees. IncentFit is different. We combine meaningful incentives, cutting-edge technology, and behavioral science to create a wellness platform that delivers 2.5X greater participation than traditional health and wellness companies, driving real action, not just app interactions.
Most vendors won’t let you test-drive their platform. We not only offer free trials, we design each trial around your organization’s specific goals, employee demographics, and program preferences. That means you’ll see how engagement, incentives, and platform integrations work for your team in real time, before you commit.
Corporate wellness programs only succeed with high engagement. IncentFit puts rewards front-and-center, using meaningful incentives, cash, premium offsets, reimbursements, and point-based rewards, to drive participation and inspire real behavior change. Over $92M in incentives have been distributed through our platform.
More than just another health and wellness company, IncentFit is a technology company.
Most companies with corporate wellness programs struggle with low engagement. IncentFit’s behavioral-science-driven approach ensures consistent participation rates of 60% per month, one of the highest in the industry. Employees aren’t just interacting with an app; they’re actively making healthier choices.
Unlike many wellness vendors, IncentFit offers a free trial so you can test engagement, features, and ease-of-use before committing. This ensures you’re confident in the program’s fit for your workforce, with zero upfront risk.
| Feature | Generic Wellness Vendors | IncentFit |
| Customizations | Limited | Full customizable to company culture |
| Incentive Structure | Basic cash or gift cards | Multi-layered: reimbursements, points, premium offsets |
| Data Security | Varies | HIPPA-compliant, secure encryption |
| Engagement Tracking | Minimal | Real-time activity verification and reporting |
| Integrating with HR Systems | Often limited | Seamless integration with payroll and benefits platforms |
| ROI and Reporting | Basic usages stats | Detailed ROI tracking and analytics |
| Gamification | Simple leaderboard | Team challenges, tiers, streaks, flexible goals |
| Employee Support | Email only | Full support (admins and employees) |
| Contracts | Long-term required | Risk-free free trial, results-based renewals |
| Engagement Rates | Often <30% | 60% monthly participation |
Choosing the right health and wellness vendors is about more than checking boxes. It’s about building a program employees actually use, and one that scales with your company over time.
By avoiding common pitfalls and focusing on what to look for in a wellness program – testing vendors, valuing employee input, prioritizing inclusivity, and insisting on flexibility – HR leaders can launch wellness benefits that engage employees, deliver ROI, and strengthen company culture.
Ready to see how IncentFit compares to generic wellness vendors? Schedule a demo today.
Q: What are the biggest mistakes when choosing a wellness vendor?
A: Not testing the platform, signing restrictive contracts, ignoring employee needs, overlooking security, and choosing rigid programs.
Q: What should HR leaders look for in a wellness program?
A: Integration, engagement strategies, strong data, flexible wellness programs, and inclusivity.
Q: How can HR measure ROI?
A: Track participation, preventive care compliance, reduced claims, and improved retention.
Q: What makes IncentFit different from other health and wellness companies?
A: Higher participation (60%+), flexible incentives, seamless integrations, and customizable scalability.
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