How To Offer A Successful Health And Wellness Incentive Program

Now more than ever, organizations know how much of a priority health and wellness is for their wellbeing. A Global Wellness Institute (GWI) report estimated that health issues among company workers cost the United States over $2 trillion a year. Over 70% of employers offer some type of health and wellness program to their workers and more are doubtless coming. It is important to note health and wellness programs can have only a limited impact on employee health and wellness if they are not executed correctly. So, how do organizations create wellness programs and wellness incentives that work to effectively improve employee health and wellbeing?

Health and wellness incentive programs with high rates of success help motivate people to take personal responsibility for managing and improving their health and fitness, reduce absenteeism, improve productivity, and decrease health care costs. In the GWI study they present evidence that companies that were perceived by their employees as more “Caring” had much more successful health and wellness programs. One of the primary factors in deciding if a company was “caring” was whether or not that organization offered tangible incentives. This is supported by studies conducted by Johns Hopkins University’s Institute for Health and Productivity Studies (IHPS), which show that one of the signs of a successful workplace health and wellness program is using incentives to encourage employee participation.

What are great wellness incentives to offer as part of your employee health and wellness incentives program? Health and wellness program incentives need to be relevant to the demographics who are participating, they need to be easy to redeem, and they need to have a high perceived value in order to motivate employee participation. It is also good to think about what type of wellness program you will be using, as this will affect what rewards are offered, how rewards are earned, and what legal concerns will need to be addressed. It is helpful to consult with experts to go over health incentive program ideas and find a fit that is best for your organizations’ needs.

Some common types of wellness incentives for employees can include gift cards (virtual and physical), premium reductions, paid time off, health-themed reward merchandise, Visa® prepaid reward cards, digital downloads, and sweepstake drawings. Cash equivalents are especially popular among program participants and have a high perceived value.

One great example of a cash equivalent that is specific to wellness program incentives is All Digital Rewards Living Well Reward ™ card. Our Living Well Reward ™ card works like a debit card and allows you to reward employees when they complete qualifying healthy behaviors, such as a specific check-up, screening or wellness visit.  Each time they complete a health goal, a cash reward is added to their individual Living Well Reward ™ card.

The first time a health incentive program participant completes an eligible healthy behavior, a Living Well Reward ™ card is mailed to them, usually within 3 to 4 weeks. The card will come with their first reward amount already loaded on it. Every time they complete a healthy behavior, a reward amount is added to their  Living Well Reward ™ card.

It is important to have a good wellness incentive management system and proper reward management software to ensure easy reward management, selection, and redemption. Our team of health and wellness experts, robust Health and Wellness point’s based platform technology, our reward management system, and our incentive management software, RewardSTACK™ can give your health and wellness incentive program the solid foundation it needs to be successful. We also offer a variety of additional support services and can create a custom-tailored solution to fit your needs.  

Our experts at All Digital Rewards are standing by to help you create the best health and wellness program for your company. Give our Health and Wellness Reward Program experts a call at 866-415-7703 or click the “Schedule a Demo” button below!