Companies today aim to establish effective employee wellness programs; indeed, 76% of US firms invest in such initiatives (1). However, engagement remains low. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research indicates only 46% of employees undergo wellness screenings, and only a fifth of them actively participate (2).
The primary hurdles include a lack of strategic direction, limited employee engagement, and budgetary constraints. Fortunately, with targeted efforts and support, these challenges are surmountable.
Understanding the Challenges
1. Lack of Strategic Focus
Strategic focus is defined as having a clear and coherent vision, mission, and strategy. A wellness program that lacks strategic focus leads to ineffectiveness and fails to address the specific needs and goals of the organization. Lack of strategic focus can also lead to misalignment with employee interests and needs, resulting in low engagement.
Without a clear strategy, the program may miss opportunities to address prevalent health issues within the workforce, potentially leading to higher healthcare costs and increased absenteeism.
Corporate wellness programs should align with broader organizational goals, such as improving productivity, reducing healthcare costs, or enhancing employee retention.
Instead of a strategic focus, many wellness programs opt for ad-hoc tactical programs that can appear disjointed. Employee Assistance Programs are often a tactical response that is typically underutilized and does not address the organizational goals and needs of employees. The wellness program should act as a pre-EAP to understand what support employees require. This ensures that employee needs are met adequately by the employer’s program, increasing engagement.
2. Lack of Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is the key metric for measuring the success of your wellness program. According to 2022 workplace wellbeing statistics, only 20% of employees participate in standard wellness programs, and disengaged employees cost companies up to $550 billion each year (3).
When employees do not engage, it can lead to skepticism about the company’s genuine interest in employee wellbeing, making it harder to roll out future initiatives successfully. Lack of engagement also makes it harder to get budgetary approval in the future and represents a lost opportunity to improve morale, team building, and gather important feedback—ultimately risking wasted resources.
3. Budget Constraints
Budget constraints are one of the greatest challenges for implementing wellness programs. In an Employee Benefits study, 84% of businesses cited budget as a barrier to introducing potential benefits—the biggest reason cited by employers (4).
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Overcoming the Hurdles
1. Start with the Strategic Plan That Is Right for Your Organization
The key to building a strategic wellness plan is to understand what type of strategy will fit your organization. A wellness strategy should follow the same structure as any strategic plan—long-term vision, clear objectives, accountability, and monitoring. This ensures the wellness plan is tailored and personalized to better support employees while giving managers a fuller understanding.
The development of a strategic wellness plan should follow these four phases:
- Current Program Assessment: ensure that the wellness program is successfully integrated within the company and that key metrics, goals, and objectives are tracked accordingly. Some assessment methods include employee surveys, reviewing group health plan utilization rates, triaging workforce needs based on survey data, and tracking participation and utilization rates.
- Program Development: design, implementation, and evaluation of the program. This includes developing specific components, integrating with the EAP program, selecting incentives or rewards, and developing wellness content and initiatives.
- Program Implementation: deploy the wellness platform, establish the wellness committee, and deliver the wellness initiatives.
- Program Evaluation: evaluate performance, impact, and cost-effectiveness. Metrics include satisfaction surveys, benefit utilization rates, participation rates, and impact on absenteeism.
The Annual Wellness Program Evaluation is essential for assessing the program’s effectiveness and identifying areas for improvement. Key to success is establishing clear goals, roles, and accountabilities for all stakeholders, including senior executives, managers, and supervisors. Management should communicate clearly and lead by example.
2. Improve Employee Engagement by Personalizing Your Wellness Program
Customizing the wellness program to suit your employees is essential for boosting participation. Personalization means presenting employees with information, content, support, and programs that address their unique interests and needs—typically through a wellness portal.
One of the best ways to personalize the program is to start with a “know your numbers” biometric testing clinic. Biometric testing includes height, weight, blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol.
In a survey discussed by HR Dive, 85% of employers said the wellness program greatly impacted employee engagement, recruitment, retention, and company culture. Similarly, 85% of workers stated that the wellness program helped manage stress levels (5). Implementing a wellness platform can provide a strong return on investment for the company.
With this information, employees can tailor their wellness program, and the organization can better understand the overall health of its workforce for further customization.
3. Get Budget Approval by Speaking the CFO’s Language
Budget approval can be difficult if wellness initiatives appear as expenses rather than investments. Overcoming budgeting hurdles starts with a strategic plan that connects wellness objectives to organizational goals.
The CFO will want to see numbers—specifically those related to absenteeism and productivity. The wellness strategy should quantify potential improvements. For instance, what would it mean if absenteeism costs could be reduced by 5%?
According to a 2020 Return on Investment of Workplace Wellness report, a long-term care company’s wellness program saved $1.585 for every $1 invested (6), largely due to higher productivity and reduced burnout.
Budgetary approval also depends on measurable objectives—both financial and non-financial. Non-financial goals might include benchmarking with competitors, improved corporate culture, or stronger talent retention.
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How WMC Can Help
Workplace Medical Corporation works with organizations to develop wellness strategic plans and provide solutions and support to implement them.
WMC Absence Management consultants can integrate your wellness strategy with your absence management approach.
Wellness services provided by WMC include:
- An outsourced wellness coordinator to work with your wellness committee.
- Onsite biometric clinics provided by WMC nurses, serving from 20 to over 400 employees, even in remote areas.
- A wellness portal that supports personalization and administration with over 20 online wellness programs, including:
- Engaging challenges
- Social circles to connect with colleagues
- A vast collection of health and wellness videos from LifeSpeak
- Online fitness classes
- Online Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and much more!
The portal enables users to engage with content and activities of interest, while administrators can monitor and analyze engagement metrics. WMC is the Canadian distributor of the MediKeeper platform, used by millions of employees throughout the U.S. and Europe.
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In conclusion, the foundation of a successful employee wellness program lies in proactively addressing its challenges. WMC helps businesses by developing tailored strategic plans and combining wellness initiatives with absence management strategies to achieve better outcomes: enhanced health, higher productivity, and improved job satisfaction.
Discover how WMC can support your journey toward a robust and impactful wellness program.
References
(1) 2022 Employee Wellness Industry Trends Report | Wellable
(2) Perceived Workplace Support for Employee Participation in Workplace Wellness Programs (MDPI)
(3) Workplace Wellness Statistics for Better Employees | GoRemotely
(4) How Small Businesses Can Overcome Common Employee Benefits Challenges | Employee Benefits
(5) Study: 85% of Companies Say Wellness Programs Bolster Employee Engagement | HR Dive
(6) Return on Investment of Workplace Wellness | Sage Journals