By Patrick Craig, Special FBA Contributor
Do Corporate Wellness plans actually work? In my last article, I wrote about the rise of Workplace Health Promotion and, in doing the research, came up with some interesting factoids. Strong evidence supports the effectiveness of WHP programs targeting smoking cessation, healthy nutrition, physical activity, and weight loss. Research has also shown a positive impact on systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels among participants and businesses recognize the impact of employee well-being on their bottom line.
WHP programs have been shown to lower health and productivity-related costs. A report from the American Medical Journal shows employers yield a $3–$15 return on investment for each dollar invested and an analysis of the programs estimates a $3.27 decrease in medical costs for every dollar spent. Besides the economic benefits, the value of such programs is apparent. Evidence shows WHP programs reduce absenteeism and increase productivity, a good thing.
This is fine, but DO THEY WORK? The honest answer? Some work and some don’t, and most of the time, this depends on whether they are intelligently designed and put into play. I’m not a master at developing these programs. However, I have gone to the experts and read their reports, and I can share a few ideas that might help you avoid common pitfalls that lead to ineffective programs.
Workplace Wellness Works But…
The Transamerica Center for Health Studies and the Institute for Health and Productivity Studies at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health prepared a report, “From Evidence to Practice: Workplace Wellness that Works.” It offers practical advice to employers, large and small, based on the latest research on workplace programs, expert advice from practitioners and candid interviews with business leaders.
I picked through it and came up with some “suggestions” for clubs that want to foster these programs in their communities and businesses that may want to partner with a local fitness facility to incorporate these programs into their business platform.
One of the biggest lessons these folks learned is one-time events masquerading as health promotion programs—that is, activities not integrated into a comprehensive workplace health promotion strategy—are likely to fail. They listed five ways these initiatives are likely to fail.
- Paying people to change their habits. Another thing the report shows is that giving financial rewards for achieving health goals, rather than aiding in achieving long-term behavior change, may lead to resentment among your other workers. This happens because incentive programs expect people will behave in rational ways if paid to do so. However, people do things that are irrational and even counter to their best interests. Employees may lose sight of long-term benefits when a short-term reward like smoking a cigarette, consuming a large pizza, or spending hours watching television is more appealing. And those employees who are actually being intelligent about their life-style choices can become resentful of those unhealthy co-workers who are getting financial rewards because they have chosen to live unhealthily. And the bottom line is that the research on financial incentives actually working is not conclusive at all.
- Administering assessments without a follow-up program. Health assessments usually ask employees questions about smoking behavior, physical inactivity, poor diet, and high stress levels, health risks they can change. These questions, coupled with biometric screenings, give a snapshot of the employee’s health. But just telling people they are overweight does not stimulate behavior modification unless that employee is actually given tools to change their behavior and track the changes. Filling out a two-page questionnaire won’t undo years of bad habits, and these same researchers found that frequent screening is unnecessary because it may lead to suggested treatments that may prove costly and are really unnecessary.
- Short-term campaigns are not the answer to changing lifestyles. Company sponsored random acts of wellness such as competitions or step-per-day challenges proved to be ineffective. The goal of a Workplace Health Program is to achieve long-term results. Employees who do not buckle down to sustained life changing health practices will soon lose heart and give up. The report shows that quick fixes often do more damage to the employee’s health and negate any long-term changes.
- Hiring a multitude of outside experts to handle your unhealthy employees. Employers often go outside the corporate structure, bring in “experts,” and call it a day. And it gets even worse when the company brings in a whole stable of these “professionals” to handle different aspects of the program. They have their employees running from counselors to disease managers to lifestyle coaches to nurses, ad infinitum. Now, working with an outside professional can seriously boost your program’s effectiveness, but your program should use one or two of these facilitators at most. The report recommends finding a well-established fitness facility that supports a broad range of health practices and bringing in their trainers and advisors to manage the program. And they should work with management and create a community-centered program that your employees can feel part of and get behind. (I talked about “establishing community” in a previous article.)
- Your health plan’s website is not exactly a productive WHP. Directing your employees to your insurer’s website is the lazy man’s health program. Workers need real people helping them to achieve actual goals, and that happens within the confines of their place of work. A real company program will probably happen in partnership with a local fitness facility that can offer professional training, guidance and online classes and instruction.
So what works?
Here are five suggestions that may prove somewhat difficult to implement, but reports show that they can actually change the lifestyles of your employees positively.
Company heads should be the leaders of these programs.
Every Workplace health program needs the visible support and leadership of the owners of the company. Besides encouraging your employees, this fosters a genuine sense of community and loyalty to your company. The programs must also be supported on all levels of the workplace, starting with creating a healthy work environment (eliminating smoking, removing junk food dispensers, etc.) and integrating the program into the company’s mission statement and vision. Senior leaders should lead by showing their own commitment to a personal lifestyle of good health.
Let your workers own the program.
Don’t impose your health program on workers as another top-down way to control your bottom line. Again, the community concept comes into play as you show workers how they and the company benefit and then give them a real voice in the direction and management. Someone in HR may be a yoga fanatic who tries to “enforce” their preference on a younger staff that is looking for stringent workouts instead. Getting the input of these employees will keep the exercise room from becoming a three-person “avoid afternoon tasks” coalition. Many of your workers will already be fitness club members. Seek them out and get their advice on the programs that are the most attended and draw the most enthusiastic response. Then implement them. Or even better, partner with a local health club and utilize their expertise and programs.
Create health as a way of life in your company.
Good health programs are built intentionally. The company’s job is to create a way of life that places a total health model into every business practice, from policies to work activities. This means building a workplace health environment that includes career and financial health, and physical and social well-being. It’s a 24/7 proposition. This involves reimagining your workplace as a community, a group that strives for the best for each member. Establishing this mindset takes time and involvement from all staff.
Make sure you target real incentives. You can’t just pay people to change their habits. It may work for a while, but without the proper outcome, which is a genuinely altered lifestyle for the good, the reward will pale and ultimately mean nothing. Good incentives push participation rates and encourage participation. Participants don’t need external goals. They need to measure their own lives and decide to take up new and satisfying habits simply because they enjoy them and they are rewarded by better health, stamina, and the ability to enjoy life more fully.
Results are critical, so measure the results that mean something. As the company owner or chairman, you have a responsibility to your employees to make your bottom line keep the company going. So, you need to evaluate whether your investment is getting an equivalent return and whether it has real value—to your company and to your employees. This means you must have an evaluation plan in place before the start of the program.
What can you measure besides lower medical costs and reduction in worker absenteeism?
There are tangibles and intangibles and this is where the leaders of the company come in. It becomes their job to discern a healthier atmosphere, more company loyalty and the company becoming a community of workers committed to the company’s well-being and that of their fellow employees—in many cases this just takes interacting with employees daily, getting down in the traces with them and showing them your commitment matches theirs. These intangibles cannot be written in a report, but they can be recognized in a real way as you communicate with your staff.
Spread the word.
When I was studying and working in journalism, I learned the basic tenants of direct communication. We always wrote our stories with these questions in mind: who, where, what, why, and when. If you are going to have a WHP that works, you must have clear communication with the people who are going to take part. Letting them know who’s in charge, what the program is, where it will be held, why your company is doing it, and when it happens is a critical part of pushing your program forward. In business, CRM or customer relations management has become one of the biggest tools for company growth. It is the same with your WHP. Let’s call it ERM or employee relations management. You must contact your people early and often with a simple message—this company is here for YOU. This kind of communication will lead to greater involvement in your WHP and, consequently, greater success levels.
Takeaway—Don’t go in blind!
In building a WHP, you can’t use the shotgun approach. You have to know what will work and what won’t. That’s why I recommend partnering with THE successful fitness club in your area. Build their participation into your budget. These facilities are always looking for ways to increase their bottom line while getting the word out about fitness, wellness and health. The opportunity to partner with seriously health-oriented businesses is a big plus for their resume. Let their years of experience put you on the road to a company that is more productive, happier, and more loyal. Now there’s a good idea.
Patrick Craig has worked in the Marketing Industry for the past twenty years. He is a published author and has written extensively about the fitness industry, particularly the gym software aspect of it. He has been with Money Movers, Inc. for the last six years where he serves as the Marketing and Operations Manager, web designer and coder, and maintains the custom websites Money Movers, Inc. develops for their Online Business Manager gym software clients.
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