It might not surprise you to learn that 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned long before the spring daisies come up. This year, instead of ambiguous “resolutions,” consider SMART goals instead — especially if your resolutions are related to your health. These bite-sized, easily achievable goals are sure to keep you motivated all the way through spring, summer, and fall.
Topics: wellness programs, healthy lifestyles, healthy eating, SMART Goals
Nearly every large employer offers some type of wellness program, but if your team feels you’ve “been there, done that,” maybe it’s time to revisit your definition of wellness. With the expansion of mindfulness, meditation, and yoga in the west, modern wellness applications are so much more than just eating veggies and stepping on a scale.
Topics: wellness incentives, wellness programs, healthy lifestyles, HR Elements
Your wellness program seems to have it all – biometric screenings, lunch and learns, and weight loss challenges. So, why do you struggle with engagement, or to see any real results? While traditional wellness components are still a large part of plans today, emerging trends, coupled with generational differences, make for challenges when designing an impactful program.
Topics: employee engagement, employee wellness, wellness programs, workplace culture
Measuring program value, or return on investment, is critical and imperative in managing a healthy wellness program. Further, clearly identifying and objectively evaluating the impact helps keep the vendor focused on what is critical for the employer. If these programs are not having the impact intended, then the cost of those services is only adding to medical spending waste.
Topics: employee engagement, wellness, employee wellness, wellness programs, UBA Health Plan Survey, population health strategy, Vital Incite, health care cost containment, Mary Delaney, biometric risk assessment
It’s no secret in the wellness industry today that wellness wearables are in high demand as one of the most employer-offered program incentives. Wearables are not only being distributed at a large quantity by medical carriers, they are also being utilized by employers as an incentive to drive employee engagement on wellness platforms, challenges, and programs. Is this increase in wearable distribution a fad, or are these products truly impacting employee wellness program engagement and health care spending? This question is one of the many that continually surfaces from employers who are focused on employee health and well-being and the business investment in wellness programs.
Topics: employee engagement, wellness, health care costs, wellness programs, UBA Health Plan Survey, Travis Horne, wearable fitness devices
While wellness programs and offerings continue to evolve among new trends and regulations, there are seven key components that tend to drive the most successful and effective programs we have seen with our clients.
Topics: employee wellness, wellness incentives, wellness programs, LHD Benefit Advisors, Jennifer Jones, disease management
Adopting best practices for wellness program designs are important in successfully investing in a workplace environment focused on well-being. Finding the right partners, tools, and interventions, and creating an incentive design that hits the sweet spot to motivate employees to participate are all essential. Many organizations fall short and wellness programs often stall when employees do not understand the program. Whether they question an organization’s intent in offering a wellness program, the program components are too overwhelming or not communicated well, or employees simply do not understand how programs affect them, educating employees on wellness program options is crucial to a program’s success.
Topics: wellness incentives, employee benefits, wellness programs, health care cost containment, Kathy Ellis, Granite Group Benefits
Many wellness programs start off with good intentions, offer some education and fun, but even after several years, have failed to meet their original goals or produce real culture change. We recently reviewed the first three steps to a successful, sustainable workplace program. Here we conclude with steps four through six for setting up a successful program.
Topics: wellness, employee wellness, wellness programs, Heather Mills, benefit plan design
Many of us have seen or heard about the various wellness programs referred to as “participation–based” programs. These participation-only programs continue to be the starting point for many organizations when they enter the world of workplace wellness. Participatory programs typically include a few individual and team-based activities, offer a level of electronic or onsite seminar education, and offer employees biometric screening and personal health risk assessments. Organizations may even award prizes, hold drawings, or offer giveaways.
Topics: wellness, wellness programs, independent employee benefits advisors, UBA white paper, healthy lifestyles, Heather Mills
The terms “wellness” and “well-being” are often used interchangeably; however, they mean very different things when applied to workplace health promotion. Traditionally speaking, employee “wellness” programs have primarily focused on just physical health. Whereas employee “well-being” programs emphasize emotional, mental, social, and financial health in addition to physical health.
Topics: wellness, health care costs, employee wellness, wellness programs, employee health, well-being