Last week I discussed the details of the top 5 wellness programs employers are implementing and I wanted to follow up with some best practices for these popular wellness programs. By utilizing the following best practices and incorporating themes of the top 5 wellness program, companies can design a wellness program that meets or even exceeds employee expectations and organizational goals.
Effective wellness programs allow all employees, regardless of their position in the organization, to participate. It is important for hesitant-to-participate employees to see the example set by management/peers and the subsequent lifestyle decisions wellness participants begin to make so that they will be inspired to participate.
An important best practice I have come across is that management should always be able to assure employees that in addition to participation being voluntary, any medical information provided or requested would never be disclosed and would always be kept confidential. This is a fundamental practice that can make or break a wellness program.
Successful wellness incentive program utilize wellness committees composed of employees at all levels of the organization. Wellness programs with wellness administrators or committee, depending on the size of the company, help to guide the program in both the short and long term. The Workplace Health Promotion blog recently featured an entry on how to begin a wellness committee and I really felt it could be helpful for clients looking for specifics on how these groups function and how they should be composed.
Wellness committees are a best practice because it really allows you to gauge the expectations and gather feedback on the wellness program at all stages. By coupling the goals of the employer and employee, motivation and morale among employees is increased along with productivity while healthcare costs are reduced.
Regardless of the types of components that a wellness program incorporates, wellness incentives work best when employees can easily access communication and information on the program whether they are at work or home. Almost all of the wellness programs that I administer have an online wellness website that functions as wellness program hub for employees. This wellness website allows employees to find out what goals they are eligible to achieve, what goals and awards they have already achieved and usually allows a person to look at their performance in comparison to their peers. Wellness program websites increase participation and involvement in the program because employees have access to wellness information, program details and employees see their progress over time.
By taking these best practices into consideration when planning or re-evaluating your company’s wellness program, you will maximize its potential. Properly implemented wellness programs have been seen in numerous case studies to improve employee health by helping employees to make healthier lifestyle choices-translating into higher productivity and bottom line savings.
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