Support from all

A wellness initiative or program is only effective if it engagesvarious segments of the workforce, including those who are“at-risk,” and achieves positive workplace outcomes—lowerabsenteeism, presenteeism, improved performance. Butwellness—changing unhealthy behaviors—doesn't exist in a vacuum;it's influenced by family, financial and work stressors whichundermine motivation to pursue personal wellness. Emotional orbehavioral issues frequently complicate the adoption of healthierhabits.

Wellness works best when it's accompanied by an employeeassistance program which screens for personal or behavioral healthconcerns and then connects employees to targeted, appropriatesolutions. When addressing these personal or behavioral healthissues, employees are more motivated to pursue wellness. A growingnumber of companies recognize this, as just about every RFP thatcomes in asks us to provide wellness/EAP integration. Brokers arewell-positioned to help drive solutions that seamlessly combinecoaching/counseling staff, technology and data. In our experience,that's the difference between wellness which delivers an ROI andwellness which doesn't. Ultimately, it's what makes wellnesswork.

David A. Sharar, Ph.D., director, Chestnut Global PartnersDivision of Commercial Science

Find an Entry Point

Wellness works when you have a group of people who are informedabout the program and are willing to do what it takes to improvetheir overall health. Many people in today's world are looking fora quick and easy way to be healthier, but are having troubledetermining exactly how to do this. Getting started in the ongoingtrend of exercise, eating better, and overall self-improvement canbe difficult. All of the options displayed on TV and social mediacan be overwhelming at times. Offering a wellness program as aresource can act as a gateway to living a healthier life and guideemployees in the right direction. One of the biggest hurdles weface with employee engagement in wellness programs has been a lackof information on how to get involved. This can be overcome byshowing the employees just how easy it is to be engaged and utilizethe wellness opportunities available to them.

Zach Pierce, account coordinator, CBIZ Employee ServicesOrganization

Top-Down Buy-in

The one-size-fits-all wellness concept is bogus, and salespeoplein our industry perpetuate that myth every time they show up at aprospect's office and ask, “What is your broker or carrier doingfor you in terms of wellness?” They know it's a question almostguaranteed to generate either a blank stare or a response offrustration. Perfect for the individual leading the salespresentation trying to elicit such a response—they've found a painpoint. However, what solution will they bring? The reality isnothing, unless there is true buy-in from the top down and awillingness to adopt a cultural commitment to wellness within thatorganization. Even our most seasoned clients who we know well havea tough time identifying exactly what is important in a wellnessprogram. Everyone wants the silver bullet in health insurance. Manythink if they just put in a non-smoker incentive or a walkingprogram, the insurance carrier will magically lower premiums. Or ifwe give our program a fancy title like 'population healthmanagement,' clients will buy and the experience will improve.Sadly, it just isn't that easy. We are also challenged with thesize of the group. For example, a company of 30 employees with 20marathon-runners is unfortunately still blended with the rates ofthe rest of the (unhealthy) population across the book of business.It's frustrating for a group like that to get rate increases likeeveryone else and have to ask, “Does wellness really matter?”

All that being said, there are great programs out there thatwill move the needle. But it takes a true partnership that startswith the executives at the group client, permeates through awellness committee made up of all types and levels of employees,and actively engages the carrier/broker/wellness vendor. Theprogram must be accountable to both the member and the vendorpartner. In other words, if we are going to spend money, I want tosee that the employees are engaged, the results are activelytracked, and we can measure an ROI. Carriers have improvedtremendously over the last couple years with wellness offeringsthat actually put their money where their mouth is. New vendorswith unique concepts are always popping up and merit consideration.And brokers worth their salt don't simply poo-poo wellness as awaste of time; we investigate all avenues for our clients andreport back with a game plan. As I stated, one-size-fits-alldoesn't work, but a collaborative plan can be customized and canlead to better outcomes.

And let us not forget, whatever size the company is, a cultureof health and wellness is never a bad thing.

Corey W. Lilburn, CEBS, CSFS, managing partner, AlltrustInsurance

Beyond the physical

To be successful, corporate wellness needs to be more thanimplementing a walking or weight loss challenge. Wellness should beso deeply integrated into the office culture that it becomes a partof everyday life.

For a wellness program to be treated as more than a “check thebox and receive an incentive” program, healthy choices should besprinkled into every little part of the day, making people feelenergized and a part of something bigger than just another task ontheir list. Management and leadership styles can encourageautonomy, thus increasing deeper engagement in everything from workto personal well-being.

Successful wellness programs start from a place of optimism,rather than pointing out what is wrong. So many programs start, andpossibly end, with a health risk assessment and a biometricscreening. It's hard to get excited about a program that has justpointed out all the things you do wrong. Focusing instead onemployee interests and building on strengths leads to much deeperengagement and intrinsic motivation.

Looking at the entire person and encouraging their best selfallows them to work as their better self every day. That goesbeyond the physical components of wellness and may includefinancial, career, even emotional wellbeing. People want to be partof something bigger, and a successful wellness program will fostera mindset of growth, not just another box to check.

Leah Hammel, director of wellness, The Cornerstone InsuranceGroup

Since different people are motivated by different things,customization and flexibility are key.  

Speak to the needs of the individuals involved.  Whatwill it take to make a person excited to participate?  Dothe numbers reveal how real preventative care may improvepopulation wellness—and the bottom line?  What types ofbehaviors do plan participants seem to exhibit that would fostergreater collaboration to make wellness go the distance? Be the force that people can count on. 

A misnomer within the health care industry is wellness equatesto only taking 10,000 steps a day using a fitness tracker to offsetstress and boost productivity.  Fitness trackers areabsolutely important tools that, when leveraged with other positivebehavior changes, can boost productivity.  But wellnessworks when an individual receives familiar, positive andencouraging honest care that focuses on prevention and an approachto him or her as a whole-person.  Anything less and wewill be taking our eye off the ball to making great strides inhealth care. 

An example: care of chronic diseases such as diabetes or heartfailure need additional attention. One out of three adults ispre-diabetic. Within this group, nine out of 10 do not know theyhave it.  When preventative measures such as biometricscreenings, preventative exams and health coaching are included ina program, the opportunity for making wellness work excels,multiplies and even becomes more visible.  Water coolerconversations expand to healthy eating, preventative care andweight loss or management.

Jon Reid, chief marketing officer, HMC HealthWorks