A Good Brand Is Critical to Wellness Program Success

Branding can help position a health and wellness program as an important component of your corporate culture. Creating a brand for your wellness program generates the same benefits as effective branding for a corporation. Done correctly, it can inspire and motivate your employees and help you develop a culture of health. A good wellness brand can boost recognition, consistency and employee engagement.

While several traditional brand elements are predetermined when it comes to an employer wellness program, such as audience, position and corporate management goals, there are at least four branding elements that need to be well defined and strategically planned.

First, establish a wellness program identity that ensures recognition and identification. Wellness identity includes items such as the name of the program, the logo, a tagline, the colors used in presentation materials, and the overall look and feel of the program. The goal is to have employees see wellness materials, know exactly what they’re looking at, and then make the connection between the company, themselves and the program.

Second, identify the wellness program values that are associated with a healthy lifestyle and that are conducive to your organization’s culture. For example: productivity, adventure, ability, happiness or strength. Pick one or two as the focus of the corporate program and remain specific and focused on these core values when developing your program. No two corporate cultures are alike; identify what your employees value. 

Next, focus on communications and messaging. A consistent wellness program message effectively communicates what is important about the brand. When selecting a message consider tone, word choice and voice. A good message reflects a cohesive program that is vital to employee engagement. Equally important are the methods and channels chosen to convey the message.

Finally, determine how employees can benefit from a healthy lifestyle and then demonstrate how the wellness program will deliver benefits. The reasons an employer plan is being offered should be transparent to encourage employee participation. Each workforce will have its own rationale to participate and it may be different from the company’s rationale to offer the program. Employees need to know how the program promises to deliver.

Good branding will include: identity, message, values and a promise. These elements will define your wellness program so employees can relate, participate and ultimately be successful. Take full advantage of all the resources and benefits of strategic branding to position your wellness program in the most attractive light.

At Wellness Workdays we create a unique brand for every worksite wellness program we develop. Contact us if you are looking for inspiration for your wellness program.

Source

Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.

Beyond ROI -- Employers Use VOI to Measure Wellness Program Success

A new report from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans finds employers are measuring wellness program success using Value on Investment (VOI) in addition to Return on Investment (ROI). More than one-quarter of organizations are measuring their wellness program success with traditional ROI while half are using at least one VOI measure to track success. VOI measures include employee engagement, turnover, absenteeism, productivity and recruitment/referral rates.

The report compared organizations achieving positive wellness VOI with the average organization that only offered wellness initiatives. It found that organizations with positive wellness VOI provide a wider range of wellness offerings than other organizations. These offerings include fitness and nutrition programs, screening and treatment options, social and community events, stress and mental health guidance, and purpose and growth plans. Positive VOI wellness programs are also more likely to use a wide variety of wellness communication channels to reach employees such as seminars, speakers, testimonials, books, brochures, health fairs, peer groups, mentors and social media.

The study found that employers with a strong VOI approach wellness more holistically than traditional ROI focused wellness programs and offer initiatives including flexible work hours, stress-management programs, staff outings and charity drives.

When companies measure ROI, they fail to capture the larger effect employee health initiatives have on the business as a whole, but VOI allows companies to assess how their wellness strategy affects goals such as engagement, productivity and absenteeism.

Source

Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs. Check out our News & Events page to learn about our June 7 webinar and check back frequently for additional webinars, including a session on VOI. Dates to be released soon.

Exercise Is an Important Business Decision

Employee well-being has a positive effect on business. A recent study found that when employees exercise during the workday, their mood, job performance, level of concentration, work relationships and resilience to stress all improved. In fact, exercising three times each week for 30 minutes or more gives employees a 15 percent boost in job performance, and exercising during regular work hours can have an even greater impact on performance.

The substantial boost that exercise gives to employee engagement is especially significant. Research shows that employee engagement benefits an organization’s bottom line.  A Gallup research poll found that employees who are the most engaged have 37 percent lower absenteeism, 21 percent higher productivity and 22 percent higher profitability when compared to those least engaged.

To remain competitive, organizations should consider exercise as important as other business decisions and incorporate regular movement and exercise into the workday. This can improve worker performance, result in fewer sick days, increase job satisfaction, positively affect productivity and enhance employee recruitment.

Recognizing the business importance of motion in the workplace, senior executives across the country are participating in The CEO Pledge, a national campaign promoted by the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity (NCPPA), which encourages every CEO in the US to recognize physical activity as an important driver of employee health and business performance. CEOs that have signed the pledge include those from Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss & Co., Mary Kay and Wegman’s Food Markets.

Source


Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.

Create a Wellness Program that Lasts

According to a recent report by the Society for Human Resource Management, 70 percent of US employers offer general wellness programs. And while the implementation of health and wellness initiatives may seem daunting to some employers, five ideas borrowed from companies like Facebook and Zappos might give the remaining thirty percent encouragement that it can be done.

Look at your office space.  Is it in need of a redesign or possible renovation? Layout, wall and floor color, air quality, availability of natural light, and quiet spaces all contribute to employees’ mental, physical and emotional well-being. While renovations do cost money, the return on investment may well be worth it. After remodeling its office space, one company saw a 30 percent decline in sick days and a 40 percent increase in revenue with employee engagement consistently above 90 percent. The remodel included creation of an exercise room and ensured every office, hallway and conference area had some natural light. 

Look at what makes your employees unique. Get feedback from employees and identify true needs. Facebook has a Life@ program that caters to its diverse employee base by concentrating its wellness program on seven areas: community, convenience, family, finance, general health, personal growth and time away. Consideration about where program and services should be offered can also have positive results. Ask employees whether they prefer programs close to their residences or onsite at work.  

Identify your corporate culture. The goal is to create an organizational healthy way of life. Using wellness programs can strengthen employee relationships, create a teamwork atmosphere, foster confidence and engage the entire organization toward common goals. Zappos started small with creative challenges like, ‘take a picture of yourself and five team members doing a plank or yoga pose.’  Three years into its program, it now offers sports leagues and wellness adventures.

Be consistent. With so many great wellness programs available, employers should carefully review and promote health initiatives in a consistent manner. Regularly scheduled options should be available whether the wellness programs’ services are offered daily, weekly or monthly. 

Seek employee feedback and constantly evaluate. To truly be cost effective and beneficial, wellness programs need continual review of what works and what does not. Ideally, all employees should feel that they are a part of the corporate culture. It’s easy to implement a program; the challenge is to engage all employees. Discovering what employees enjoy is the key to a successful health and wellness initiative.

Source

Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.