Here is an example of what most WellSteps clients do in their wellness incentive programs. Since the goal of the well-being program is to help employees adopt and maintain healthy behaviors, we provide small gift cards that are randomly awarded to those employees who successfully complete different aspects of a wellness program. For example, completing a personal health assessment, biometric screening , behavior change campaign or challenge will qualify an employee for a drawing. We have found that even greater participation happens if the employers will establish a benefits-based incentive plan.
Benefits-based well-being incentive programs typically include the incentive of a discount on insurance premiums, paid time off, a contribution to an HSA or HRA, or a lower co-pay or deductible. Benefits-based incentives are more expensive than randomly awarded gifts but they tend to have more impact on employee engagement. Some companies spend more and some spend less than this. For many years, WellSteps and other wellness consultants have studied the impact of various wellness program elements including incentives on program participation.
From this work, we have categorized wellness program engagement strategies into four categories:. This level of participation is a great start but it is not a complete wellness strategy. Here is an example of a WellSteps campaign poster. The focus is on the intrinsic rewards not the incentives. At the end of every WellSteps behavior change campaign , we ask participants how their life has improved.
Doing this reminds them of all of the intrinsic benefits they can experience when behaviors are adopted and maintained for life. For example, in the WellSteps campaign called Feel Fitness, employees are encouraged to participate in regular physical activity to help raise money for a good cause.
They are also encouraged to pay attention to the benefits of exercise each week. This way, while employees are helping others, they also discover benefits of regular exercise. Helping employees recognize and enjoy the benefits that come regular exercise will increase the odds that they will become a maintainer. Helping employees experience the intrinsic rewards that come from healthy behaviors will help them enjoy healthy lifestyles for many years to come even without the wellness program.
Wellness professionals and companies often discuss whether or not to use incentives or disincentives within their incentive program.
In other words, which is better to encourage behavior change, carrots positive rewards or sticks punishments? Remember, the goal of every corporate well-being program should be to help employees adopt and maintain healthy behaviors for life. Some employers insist that the only way their employees will change behaviors is if they are punished for unhealthy behaviors. Punishing employees is the same technique cowboys use to train horses! To get a horse to do a target behavior, trainers make the right choice easy and the wrong choice painful.
Employers do the same thing when punishment is used to encourage non-smoking or having healthy blood cholesterol, etc. It is no surprise that the companies that punish employees are also most likely to have a toxic culture.
There are many logical arguments for and against the use of punishments as a way to change behavior. We live in a society where punishments for poor behaviors are common place. Break the law and you get punished. The belief is that a punishment will help people extinguish or stop poor behaviors.
There may be times when this approach is successful in a workplace setting. For example, some workplaces are extremely dangerous so safety is a number one priority throughout the organization.
Everybody agrees that employees need to be safe at work so failure to follow safety protocols could lead to termination or punishment. In some situations, negative reinforcement can impact behavior but this reinforcement is often accompanied by fear. Fear can be a motivator when it comes to adherence of safety rules, but it is not very effective in helping people adopt and maintain healthy behaviors.
WellSteps has worked with hundreds of clients and we discourage all of them from using negative reinforcement sticks to motivate employee health behavior.
We believe this approach is counterproductive to the goals of the wellness program. Also, there is no evidence to suggest that a wellness program which uses punishments will have any long-term success.
Maintainers are mostly likely to develop lifelong healthy habits when they experience consistent positive reinforcement over a long period of time. What would you say if you were hired to consult with company about an incentive program that had over lines of activities, requirements, exceptions, rules, point totals and reward standards?
Encourage them to stay hydrated with water bottles. Get them moving with sports equipment, fishing poles, and hiking gear. Help them keep track of their physical activities with Garmin fitness watches.
These employee recognition awards are a great way to emphasize the importance of employee health and well-being. The goal of an employee wellness incentive program is to improve the health of the organization's team members.
Wellness programs help employees prevent or overcome health-related concerns by creating and maintaining healthy behaviors. In a wellness program, it is important to consider employee mental and physical health. It is so easy to use and employees love the options for challenges, learning videos, self-improvement, and team events.
I love the way TB reaches out to employees, especially new folks to get them activated and keep them informed about our program. And did I mention the ease of customization? Love it! It gives us an opportunity to have corporate-wide challenges that we can rally around. We are very focused on wellness this year and the platform adds a fun dimension to our program.
Staff can earn points so there is an incentive to participate but it's optional. Wellness Programs can create a less stressful environment which can, in turn, lead to higher levels of employee happiness. They can help prevent and reduce illness which can be harmful to your employees and a hindrance to productivity.
Reducing health care costs and the strain that is placed on organizations when employees miss work due to illness are obvious reasons that investing in employee wellness is important. Emotional and mental wellness are also important for a healthy workforce.
When employees are feeling well, they are more focused, energetic, and ready to give their best effort each day. A single hub to house all of your recognition initiatives from one easy-to-manage platform.
While this study suggests the impact may be small or nonexistent, some programs may be better than others, and some people perhaps you! Talk to your doctor about what you can do to improve your health.
Or maybe your diet, sleep, or mood could be better. Your doctor may refer you to a physical therapist or trainer, dietitian, or psychotherapist who can help in ways similar to workplace wellness programs.
Hopefully, this will include studies with older or younger workers, and different types of programs that encourage participation in different ways such as financial rewards or a break on health insurance premiums. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content.
Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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