Corporations are offering more opportunities for employees to participate in wellness plans, and at the same time they are more generous with workplace flexibility options. While workers are increasingly taking advantage of the former, they are slower to adopt flexible arrangements.
That's what SHRM reported when it culled out wellness program and flexibility data from its major study, Strategic Benefits survey.
"About three-quarters (76 percent) of organizations offered some type of wellness program to employees in 2014, an increase from 70 percent in 2012," SHRM said. "Also in 2014, about one-half (52 percent) of organizations provided employees with the option to use flexible work arrangements, such as teleworking. …Employee participation in these programs is increasing. However, employee participation in flexible work arrangements is progressing at a slower rate than wellness programs."
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SHRM found that 53 percent of respondents said employee participation in wellness programs increased last year. When asked about flexibility participation, 31 percent said it had grown. That may in part be due to the fact that, according to the survey, only 33 percent of the companies with flexible policies offered them to the majority of workers.
SHRM has cited the many benefits that companies can anticipate when they strategically integrate flexibility into their workforce planning. But although many studies have shown a clear employee interest in greater flexibility, simply offering it as an option without clear management support isn't enough to increase participation.
"It is important to understand the obstacles that may be impacting employee participation rates in flexible work arrangements," said Evren Esen, director of survey programs at SHRM. "There needs to be support from management and leadership in order for more employees to participate in flexible work arrangements."
The further refining of incentives may well be a key factor that may be driving wellness plan engagement. Employers often struggle with incentives, but the right combination can trigger higher interest among the workforce.
"About two-thirds (67 percent) of organizations offered wellness incentives or rewards for participating in wellness programs. The majority of organizations (85 percent) indicated that wellness incentives were somewhat or very effective in increasing employee participation in wellness programs," SHRM said.
Nearly three-quarters of participants with wellness programs reported that wellness programs "were somewhat or very effective in reducing health care costs in 2014." More than three-quarters said their plans were "somewhat or very effective in improving the physical health of employees."
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
