Creating an effective wellness program is an elusivegoal for many employers. Diverse employee populations, lack of dataand failure to understand which initiatives drive the most change(and the most savings) are all reasons why some employers fail todeliver with their wellness programs, and even as they have becomeincreasingly popular in the employer space, many critics say thatwellness plans don't significantly move the needle in terms ofoverall employee health and the cost of care.

So when employers win awards for their wellness programs, it'sworth asking what they're doing differently and how others canemulate their success.

In May, Interactive Health named its annual “HealthiestCompanies in America,” an award that indicates the businesses inthe United States that are doing the best job of incorporatingpreventive health care into the workplace.

Angie's List in Indianapolis was included among the winners.Kelsey Taylor, Wellness Director at Angie's List, says that theAngie's List program began more than a decade ago because of agroup of employees who wanted to de-stress during work hours.

“They started having a yoga class in a conference room, wherethey'd move the tables to one side,” she explains. “One of ouremployees was certified in yoga and would run these classes on aweekly basis; she had great attendance.”

When CEO Bill Oesterle saw the group practicing, “he thought ifit was helping the employees, he should make it grow,” Taylor says.“He went out and purchased some equipment and dedicated some spaceto the class.”

The Angie's List employee wellness program has expanded beyondone weekly yoga class to encompass 30 different programs —including what Taylor terms a “fiscal fitness” class, which focuseson financial health.

“A few years ago, we were still using a prenatal program throughour insurance provider,” she says, “and that program worked on acall-in basis. Our average employee age is about 34, so we have alot of new mothers and fathers, and we were paying per employee,per month, and we weren't getting a lot of return on that.”

So Taylor found a childbirth educator, and, instead of callingin to a prenatal program, employees and partners attended classeson-site at Angie's List.

“It was personalized, and it was exactly what our employeeswanted—they didn't want to be on the phone,” Taylor says. “Theywanted to look at and talk to someone about this child they werebringing into the world.” Taylor says that one couple affiliatedwith Angie's List was adopting and arranged for the birth mother toattend the classes, too.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a core value at Angie's List,Taylor says. There's a garden club, an on-site fitness center withscheduled classes, relaxation rooms and a massage area.

The SharePoint employee intranet regularly features storiesabout Taylor's assorted wellness activities — deadlines to sign upfor races or biometric screenings, profiles of employees who'vechanged their lifestyle. There's a graduation ceremony for thetobacco-cessation program that Angie's List offers, and Taylor saysAngie's List employees work out together on a regular basis.

Another Healthiest Company in America, Maui Jim, shares some ofthese wellness goals.

One of its most important features is an on-site gym, saysbenefits administrator Ben Tilly.

“We have trainers here at the on-site gym, and we put on aroundfive classes a day at various times throughout the day to keeppeople motivated and involved,” Tilly says. “We have a nutritionistwho comes on-site from a local hospital who's really motivated andpassionate and consults with employees.”

Other on-site offerings include making fresh fruit available foremployees and running regular challenges, like “Slimmest Jim,” aweight-loss competition thatsometimes includes incentives like paying the employees $5 perpound lost. “We have walking programs and cooking demos, too, togive people healthy recipe ideas,” Tilly says.

Maui Jim also offers employee discounts for events that thecompany sponsors, such as the Maka Maka annual run.

And Tilly notes that the Maui Jim culture goes a long way towardhelping employees stay focused on wellness.

“There's a lot of benefit to the family culture we have here —even if it's not physically related, it's mentally related,” hesaid. “It's one big family.” Tilly notes that the biometricscreening (which includes a financial incentive) has become morepopular since adding the financial component.

“The thing that's hardest for us but that we do pretty well isprobably just trying to keep things different and fresh as much aswe can,” Tilly says. “Nobody has a ton of resources to throw at awellness program, but I think just keeping it different andengaging is the biggest roadblock that we've overcome.”