Do you really think employees want to be unhealthy?  Of course not!  Then why is getting employees to participate always the biggest challenge in a wellness program?  Many times it’s because the focus is on the Employer and not the Employee.  The best corporate wellness programs are centered around the employees individual needs.  Personal relevance is critical if you are going to exceed 70% engagement.   If a program can focus on individual needs and drive engagement, it is a big WIN for the Employer.  How does a program achieve these results?

1.Program focus needs to be on the Employee. Participation will always depend on if the program meets the employee’s health status, needs, and barriers to change. Relevance is an important factor when creating your wellness initiatives.  When considering what will be most beneficial, data from a credible Employee Interest Survey can help select programs in which the employee will see value.  If you do not do an annual Employee Interest Survey, find a provider who can provide this assessment to your population.

2.Employees need to know their baseline. Biometrics can detect those at risk for chronic illness.  This baseline assessment can help employees understand the “why” behind engaging in a program.   One of the barriers to change is not understanding your “why”.  If you can help your employees determine this, then the “why” barrier can be eliminated. If you don’t have a provider that can give you immediate and permanent aggregate data, outsource the HRA.

3.Add Internal Challenges.  Employees like the social aspect of wellness.  It also is great for team building.  Along with your educational campaigns and literature, consider adding an internal social aspect to the program that helps employees feel connected.  Connection in the workplace will breed engagement.  Make the internal challenge fun and possible for everyone regardless of health status.  Be creative!

4.Choose Incentives that Work.  Short term carrot and stick incentives are not the best strategy for boosting incentives; mainly because they do not drive behavior change.  If you are considering using incentives, be strategic in how you use them. Integrating an employee point system in which participation over the course of the year can earn something of value is going to drive higher engagement and behavior change. Incentives should be integrated with biometric scores that require employees to build healthy habits in order to qualify.  The right incentive can drive program success.


Using this model, every company we partner with has an engagement rate of over 75%.  Keep wellness simple for your Employees.  Do not overwhelm them but focus on making it personal and manageable.   Gather the data you need to run an effective program, and select incentives that require long term behavior change.