Employee Health and Wellness Programs - Employee Engagement Strategies
Employee Health and Wellness Programs without staff engagement are of little use to a corporation. How do you get workers to enroll in Employee Health and Wellness Programs - and stay engaged in the programs?
The brochures for these programs discuss the benefits to workers and corporations. Employee Health and Wellness Program statistics show that there are tangible benefits to a corporation for offering such programs. Employee Health and Wellness Programs actually do save lives by getting workers to take their health seriously, increase productivity, decrease absenteeism and more.
However, St. Louis, Missouri-based Maritz Inc., the world’s largest incentive corporation, has applied their own invigorating twist to health management by providing gift rewards to workers who participate in Employee Health and Wellness Programs. The wellness incentive reward program is Maritz’s own Exclusively Yours® plan. Health management participants earn points, which can be then redeemed for merchandise, electronics, restaurant vouchers and travel, much like a frequent-flier program.
Enrollment incentive rewards in Employee Health and Wellness Programs?
Undoubtably corporations that don’t work in the incentive rewards industry will be tempted to cry foul about using such a rich carrot to incentivize health program enrollments. Not every corporation can throw that kind of money at health management resources - and not every corporation has the built-in cost savings as a business that specializes in providing incentive reward programs.
For certain rich incentive rewards like Maritz’s will break through the glaze that appears over many workers’ eyes when they’re encouraged to do something new, different or difficult. For many workers uncomfortable with health management and exercise, “new, different and difficult” would apply to Employee Health and Wellness Programs. So where does that leave corporations who are unwilling or unable to provide incentive rewards for health management program enrollment?
Successful Employee Health and Wellness Programs motivate workers - before and after signup
Employee Health and Wellness Program administrators should keep the long-term view in mind when trying to get workers to take that imperative first step. Even the best incentive rewards can fail in the face of faltering organization, badly-designed Employee Health and Wellness Programs and wavering support. Make sure to run good Wellness surveys before you build your Employee Health and Wellness Programs so worker input and needs are being met by your Employee Health and Wellness Programs. The goal is positive outcomes, not high enrollment numbers.
Employee Health and Wellness Programs cannot survive managerial apathy. If executive and managerial participation is widespread and heartfelt, workers will follow their leadership. The potential rewards and Wellness benefits are clearly worth reaping, for both your business and your co-workers.
