Businesses are overusing incentive as a key strategy to engage employees. They are resorting to using gift cards, paid time off, cash, and other persuasive tools to encourage employees to make better health decisions. After 15 years of personal training and health coaching I can tell you, if the motivation is not intrinsic, the effort and expense is wasted!! Ultimately if we want to see the behavior carry over, they have to desire the change! The need to see the purpose and intention behind it… and believe in the process! Do incentives hold value for some things? Yes, but they absolutely need to be used sparingly if we want sustainable solutions. We need to focus more of finding alternatives to expensive wellness incentives. In our wellness programs at Evolve, incentives are not a key wellness budget item. We see them as a small piece to a very comprehensive puzzle.
According to a survey of nearly 150 mid-size companies, the cost of incentives to employers has sky-rocked nearly 65% and rose from $260 to $430 per employee/yr. I don’t know about you but if I am a mid-size company of 200 people and I have to invest $60,000 a year to incentivize my employees to make better health choices… I need to take a hard look at my failed strategy and figure out how to become more cost effective! Incentives are not a solution to the issues of obesity and chronic health conditions. Changing behavior is our solution.
This is what we know:
1. We need better education on the importance of prevention! 88% of workers according to a recent survey do not fully understand the value of preventative care. Our medical community’s economic structure is to take care of the sick. We wait until there is a need. A lack of understanding behind prevention will discourage people from being intrinsically motivated to change health behavior. Proper education increases compliance.
2. We need a stronger “Call to Action!” Many wellness programs are bits and pieces. Employees lack understanding of the ultimate purpose and do not see the value in programming. If you want employees to be excited, create a very specific and powerful call to action that is positive in nature. Draw on emotion to encourage them to take action. Create a powerful and sustainable mission statement about your company’s purpose behind wellness.
3. We need programming to be interactive. Yes, one thing we know is people are inspired to be a part of something BIG. A shift in culture is big. If employees feel as if they are truly a part of the process, they are less likely to need reward. Daniel Pink in his book “Drive” states that people are motivated when given autonomy. It cannot be that information is coming at them but they are part of a process that controls the direction of the culture.
4. We need to create the necessary environment. To build intrinsic motivation, we need to develop true self leaders. Individuals do not get healthy or stay healthy because they listen to a presentation or read a newsletter. They get and/or stay healthy because they spend several hours a day in a place that supports healthy living. All of this, of course, comes from having strong leadership support within the organization. Leadership support is imparative for wellness success!
