Senior adults giving a high five
A decade ago, corporate wellness looked very different. Most programs revolved around gym reimbursements, step challenges, and the occasional health fair. Wellness was often treated as something offered in good faith, but rarely measured or optimized.
Fast forward to today, and workplace wellness trends have become a strategic business driver. Modern corporate wellness programs shape culture, influence retention, and directly impact healthcare costs. And thanks to advances in data analytics and behavioral science in workplace wellness, we can now measure what truly works and what doesn’t.
At IncentFit, we’ve spent over a decade collecting and analyzing millions of engagement data points from thousands of employers. This year’s findings reveal how employee wellness has matured – from single-focus fitness programs to personalized, holistic ecosystems that serve every dimension of well-being.
What follows is a data-backed look at how the field has changed, why it matters for employers, and what HR leaders can do to turn insight into action.
Table of Contents
Before diving into participation rates and the data behind employee engagement, it’s important to understand what workplace wellness looks like today and how it got here.
When IncentFit launched in 2013, workplace wellness largely meant getting people moving with gym discounts, step counts, and walking meetings. But as organizations began to understand the connection between mental health, productivity, and long-term retention, the definition of wellness expanded.
The past decade has seen this transformation unfold in real time. Corporate wellness programs are now:
This shift reflects a fundamental change in how employees think about well-being. They don’t want one-size-fits-all programs; they want support that fits into their real lives – flexible, inclusive, and rewarding in meaningful ways.
Read More about One-Size-Fits-None: to learn how segmentation can help you design a custom, personalized wellness program that suits the unique needs of your employees and your business.
IncentFit has gathered millions of engagement data points from thousands of users, giving us one of the most comprehensive views of workplace wellness trends in the industry.
This data provides a clear, measurable picture of how employee wellness has evolved, from basic fitness reimbursements to holistic, personalized corporate wellness programs.
In this section, we’ll explore key findings from the IncentFit platform that highlight what’s working, where engagement is growing, and how HR teams can turn these numbers into action.
Across the IncentFit platform, average participation rates hit 60%, nearly double the industry norm of 30-35%. That’s not just a number, it’s a reflection of how far employee wellness has come.
When programs are built around simplicity, automation, and meaningful incentives, engagement follows. Employees who feel seen and rewarded for healthy behaviors keep showing up, and those behaviors compound over time.
Notably, 33.6% of incentFit users completed at least one wellness goal this year, and 16% of those completions were related to mental health. That’s a powerful signal the employees are embracing wellness in broader, more human ways.
Key Insight: When you make wellness simple, measurable, and personal, people engage. And when people engage, organizations thrive.
Wellness challenges have long been a cornerstone of employee wellness, but the data tells a richer story.
Since 2022, challenge participation has grown from 31% to 40% across all IncentFit clients. And when challenges include team components or social gamification, repeat participation increases by 20-30%.
Why it Matters:
Wellness challenges are more than just friendly competition, they’re behavioral reinforcement tools. They help employees build small, repeatable habits that translate into lasting wellness outcomes.
Preventive care programs are no longer a “nice extra” in a wellness program, it’s the foundation.
Across IncentFit clients, preventive care registration averages 55%, meaning more than half of all employees are completing annual physicals, screening, and vaccinations through their programs.
Why that’s significant:
Preventive care engagement also follows a seasonal rhythm by peaking in Q3 (the post-summer “reset” period) and dipping slightly in Q4. Understanding this cycle allows HR teams to better time campaigns, reminders, and incentives for maximum participation.
One of the biggest shifts we’ve seen in the last two years is the explosion in reimbursement participation – jumping from 10.4% in 2023 to 40.9% in 2024.
Why? Because flexibility wins.
Employees increasingly want to define what wellness means to them, whether that’s therapy apps, home gym equipment, nutrition programs, or meditation subscriptions. IncentFit’s data shows the top three reimbursement categories are:
By reimbursing these expenses, organizations send a clear message: “We trust you to choose what works for you.”
For HR teams, flexible stipends and reimbursements simplify administration and expand outreach, giving credit to healthy habits that happen outside the gym or office.
Employee motivation thrives on flexibility. That’s why activity-based fitness rewards remain one of the most popular and effective ways to drive participation across IncentFit clients. Employees aren’t told how to be healthy, they’re empowered to define it for themselves.
Over 60.8% of all tracked activities now happen outside the gym, showing that employees value wellness options that fit real life. The most commonly reported activities include:
This diversity shows how broad the definition of “wellness” has become. Whether an employee earns points for taking a walk, improving their sleep, or attending a yoga class, the result is the same – consistent engagement, driven by choice.
That behavioral flexibility matters: it taps into intrinsic motivation (autonomy, mastery, purpose), which keeps employees participating long after the novelty wears off.
Behavioral science tells us that the best wellness program incentives are simple, timely, and meaningful – and IncentFit’s $95.6M+ in rewards distribution proves it.
The Most Popular Reward Types
According to participation data, the most redeemed rewards were:
Reward Delivery Matters
The method of reward delivery significantly affects engagement speed and satisfaction:
The reason is clear: these wellness program incentives are practical and immediate, connecting the reward directly to everyday life or tangible savings.
Together, these findings reinforce the central truth of workplace wellness: behavioral design + meaningful rewards = sustainable engagement.
Key Insight: Reward frequency and immediacy matter far more than reward size. When employees can see and feel the impact of their effort right away, engagement skyrockets.
Behind every data point is a behavioral story. IncentFit’s analytics highlight clear patterns in how people sustain healthy habits:
In other words: behavioral science in workplace wellness isn’t an abstract concept, it’s the foundation of effective program design.
Data like this is only useful when it drives smarter decisions. For HR and benefits leaders, these trends signal three key opportunities:
With clear participation metrics and verified preventive care data, HR can now tie wellness programs directly to business outcomes.
Showing year-over-year engagement improvements strengthens the case for continued or expanded funding.
Insights into behavioral patterns help refine timing, incentives, and communication for even better engagement next year.
Knowing the data is only half the story, the real value comes from putting those insights into action. This outline gives HR leaders a clear, flexible roadmap for strengthening participation, improving engagement, and proving ROI across corporate wellness programs of any kind.
Whether you’re launching new incentives, introducing a holistic well-being hub, or rethinking how you measure success, this plan is designed to help you move fast, learn quickly, and create lasting impact.
Start with clarity. Before launching new initiatives, understand where things stand today.
The goal: Create a clear, measurable starting point so you can track progress and ROI over time.
Simplicity drives participation.
The goal: Make your program easy to understand, easy to access, and rewarding to participate in.
Now that your foundation is clear, focus on momentum.
The goal: Generate steady engagement by reinforcing that wellness is ongoing, not a one-time event.
Data is your guide to sustainable success.
The goal: Treat your corporate wellness program like a living system by testing, learning, and optimizing continuously.
The best programs are consistent and transparent.
The goal: Build a culture of wellness that’s measurable, visible, and sustainable.
The next generation of workplace wellness will be continuous, flexible, and deeply personalized.
Trends to watch in coming years:
IncentFit’s upcoming platform updates are already moving in this direction, helping HR teams move from reactive wellness strategies to proactive, data-informed employee well-being systems.
After more than a decade of data, one truth stands out amongst workplace wellness trends: the simplest programs perform the best.
When employers make it easy for people to engage, verify activities, and get rewarded, participation doubles and the impact compounds over time.
That’s what IncentFit was built for: blending automation, behavioral science, and compliance into wellness programs that actually work – for both employees and HR teams.
Ready to see how your program stacks up?
Schedule a call with an IncentFit Benefits Specialist to benchmark your engagement data and identify quick wins for the coming year.
Q: How does IncentFit collect and analyze workplace wellness data?
A: IncentFit aggregates anonymized engagement, participation, and reward data across thousands of clients. This allows for macro-level insights into national workplace wellness trends.
Q: What counts as “preventive care” in IncentFit’s programs?
A: Preventive care programs include verified activities like annual physicals, dental exams, flu shots, biometric screenings, and other recommended checkups.
Q: How can HR leaders use behavioral science to improve engagement?
A: By aligning wellness program incentives with behavioral cues (like quick feedback, social accountability, and timely rewards) HR teams can reinforce healthy habits and increase repeat participation.
Q: What are the most effective wellness incentives based on IncentFit’s data?
A: Digital gift cards, payroll deposits, and premium offsets drive the highest engagement rates. These rewards are immediate, practical, and easy to redeem.
Q: What’s next for corporate wellness programs in 2026 and beyond?
A: Expect continued movement toward holistic, flexible benefits, especially programs that integrate mental wellness, preventive care, and financial well-being into one cohesive platform.
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