Wellness Incentive Program

Examples from Incentive Programs Gone Wrong and Insights from Healthcare ...

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Alere Health Chief Medical Officer .

"Unfortunately, there are many examples of poorly thought out and implemented incentive programs," notes Keyes.  "What's missing for many employers is concrete outcomes data that can provide the kind of direction and guidance needed to build incentives that will encourage employees to engage in meaningful wellness programs."

Topics discussed during the presentation will include:

Keyes notes that in past national meetings, sessions on incentives have often had standing room only crowds.  "Economic incentives are a hot topic, but they can also be a slippery slope," he notes. "No one wants to be in a position where they feel pressure from an employer or a consultant to implement an incentive they know is a bad idea.  At Alere, we are a proponent of positive reinforcement to set the stage for healthy changes."

Keyes and the presenters also will highlight some of the recommendations that can help improve the incentive development process including the need to move beyond simple program participation to measuring the actual effectiveness of the incentive.  He points out that if a goal of a wellness program is to help employees reduce caloric intake, measuring participation is not enough.  The key is to measure whether the employee used the tools provided by the wellness program and the actual reduction in calories consumed.  

"We need to ask ourselves if we want to pay participants to simply sign up for the wellness program or if we are actually rewarding active participation and effort," he notes.

Keyes expects the program to generate important information and insights.  A recording of the presentation will be available on the AHIP website after the tradeshow.

Corporate Fitness Programs in the Workplace | Corporate Wellness ...

Corporate Fitness Program : In Japan, there’s a prescribed workout period of time (commonly right before work) for workers. It will not be very long until the United States follows suit, although the program may be different. Since the passing of the medical care reform bill, people will see a great deal of changes in U.S. health care. Most companies already are taking a more active part in their employees fitness and health than just paying for their medical plan. They’ve introduced their very own company fitness programs.

Companies implementing fitness and wellness programs are very conscious of the advantages of having a healthy staff. When employees are healthy, there are a lower number of instances of absenteeism and fewer claims on their medical insurance. More than this, corporate fitness and wellness programs will increase worker morale, increase work productivity, and optimize efficiency.

For employee fitness and wellness programs to succeed, it will be important for business leaders to provide the example. Business owners and executives have to be observed actively participating in these programs. Practicing whatever they preach makes it easier for the organization management to motivate staff to take part in the programs and also embrace a healthier lifestyle.

The scope of company fitness programs vary per company. Some businesses provide on-site gym facilities, while others give out free gym memberships. You will discover organizations that organize boot camps, and there are those that purchase entire health and wellness packages from corporate fitness providers. Lots of companies include wellness tips in their communication with employees whether by newsletters, posters at the worksite or by means of the company intranet.

Ideally, a organization’s fitness program ought to be integrated and multi-dimensional. It should concentrate not only on workers physical health, but also on their mental, emotional, and spiritual health. All efforts need to be aimed at creating an environment that inspires people to be healthy, happy, and productive.

Any employee fitness and wellness program’s objective is to enable employees to manage better whatever stress they may have. Fitness solutions must be tailored to each employee’s particular needs. It may also be necessary to hire an in-house wellness coach who can help employees set their personal objectives and goals, monitor their accomplishments, and guide them on healthy living.

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