As more industries and employersplace greater emphasis on worker well-being, finding creative waysto engage employees is key.

It's no secret: Engaging employees in corporate well-being programs can bechallenging.

In fact, according to research from HealthFitness, nearly 60 percent of eligibleemployees don't participate in their corporate well-being program.Many cite corporate culture as a barrier. Others point toa lack of information. And yet others say a personalized approach is the key to gettingthem more involved, including access to live experts.

So, we know there's an opportunity to better engage employees.And we know why they're not engaging with well-being programs. Butwhat creative approaches are companies taking to engage employeesmore effectively? Here are three unique tactics we've developed inpartnership with our clients over the last year:

1. Using Darth Vader to inspireemployees

It might seem counter-intuitive to use the most storied andcelebrated villain in movie history as the impetus to getting youremployees more involved in well-being, but for med techgiant Boston Scientific, it worked.

The company's medical device specialists working in its MapleGrove, Minnesota facility build catheters that are used as accesstubes for medical devices. This unique job requires frequentgrasping of small parts and tools, long periods of standing andsitting, and often completing the work under a microscope(literally!).

Dan Dehmer is the man responsible for managing 80 medical devicespecialists who work on 14 manufacturing lines throughout threeshifts. Employees rotate throughout the workstations on the linesduring their shift. And although Dehmer and his team encouragedemployees to take stretch breaks, they didn't have a mandatory settime for stretching.

Enter Darth Vader.

Boston Scientific implemented a customized ergonomic stretchingprogram designed to help  employees address issues beforethey become more serious medical concerns. One creative tactic usedto engage employees in this program: playing the “Imperial March”(Vader's theme song) to signal to employees that it's time for astretch break.

“Once employees hear the music shift to the ominous marchingbeat they know to finish their task and stretch,” Dehmersays. ”Workers even shout out 'time for a stretch break'to their co-workers to serve as a reminder.”

2. Using chat technology to reach employees where they are

One challenge many companies are facing in 2019 is reachingremote workers. In fact, reports say a whopping70 percent of people now work remotely at leastonce a week.

Multinational tech companies in particular are affected by thischallenge—50 percent of HP's 15,000 employees across the UnitedState are remote workers.

Enter chat technology—in this case, Microsoft Lync andSkype.

HP and HealthFitness created the “CubeFit” program, whichcombines live experts with chat technology to offer energy breaksemployees can do right at their desks. These classes,10 to 15 minutes in length, are led by our fitness expertsand are streamed live via Lync and Skype during the workday.

The classes cover meditation, yoga and strength training, justto name a few. And, another fitness expert manages the “chat” boxto answer employee questions before, during and after theworkout.

3. Make models of your employees—literally

Another unique approach Boston Scientific implementedto engage employees in daily exercise: making them theface of an internal communications campaign.

A number of the medical device specialists who work on theassembly line serve as the models for posters and handouts in theplant, demonstrating stretches and exercises.

“Our employees make realistic models,” Dehmer says. “Our diverseworkforce comes from all over the world and ranges in age fromrecent high school graduates to pre-retirement,” he says. “Ifemployees see one of their co-workers on the posters demonstratingthe stretches, they are more likely to participate and own theprogram.”

He's absolutely right—the program has been so successful, someemployees are even volunteering to be models for the campaign!

As more industries and employers place greater emphasis onworker well-being in the years ahead, finding creative ways toengage employees will be key. Learning what companies like BostonScientific and HP are doing to reach these people can be a greatplace to start.

Read more:

• Employee well-being: Maximizing ROI, minimizingheadaches
• Survey says: Wellness pays off for recruitment andretention
• The 5 best (and worst) states forwell-being

Nicole Chaudet is theexecutive director, product execution, with HealthFitness.She is charged with leading the team that takes new products,services and product enhancements to market. She has beendelivering employee well-being programs and solutions, both on-siteand in a consultative role, for more than 20years.