With 84 percent of respondents saying employers play an important role in employees' health and well-being, it's imperative that employers step up their efforts. (Photo: Shutterstock)

When it comes to workplace wellness programs, there's still a lot of ground to be gained. Reports of ROI and the impact on a company's health care costs continue to be mixed, and there's no single consensus on what a successful wellness program looks like. Yet employers forge ahead: the scope of programs continues to evolve, expanding to include financial, social and emotional factors of wellness in addition to physical health.

Still, there's the issue of low employee utilization and concerns that programs aren't targeting those who would most benefit from them. A recent survey by LightSource in conjunction with KJT Group offers some insight into why that might be: getting employees more involved in wellness programs starts with simply doing a better job of telling them about such programs.

Related: Employers need to take a strategic look at workers' well-being

“It's tough on employers,” says Rick Johnson, vice president of consulting services for KJT Group. “We have some sort of onboarding, a handbook, it's laid out on page 108… what more do we need to do? If you want people to take action, you have to continue to inform them and inform them in different channels. Email blast is great but isn't going to do it alone. A wellness week or highlighting wellness during open enrollment are good, but again all of these things should be working together to create a comprehensive employment program.”

Not only are employers missing the boat with their existing employees, they're also missing out on a key recruiting opportunity. Among those surveyed, only 30 percent were aware of wellness programs when they accepted a job with their current employer, yet 64 percent consider a wellness program somewhat or extremely important.

With 84 percent of respondents saying employers play an important role in employees' health and well-being, it's imperative that employers step up their efforts. “There is a gap, and it's not that employers aren't trying,” Johnson says. “There was constantly the discussion about ROI, but I think we've seen wellness programs incorporated into corporate cultures: 'We want you to be your best self.'”

As wellness shifts to an aspect of company culture, there should be a similar shift in employee involvement. Just 30 percent of employees say their employer asked for their input on a wellness program before implementing it. Meanwhile, 43 percent were asked for feedback on a program after it was implemented.

“An opportunity also exists to increase employee participation in and commitment to wellness programs if employers asked for employees input on these programs before and after implementation–not many do so today,” report authors Michelle Soto and Rick Johnson write.

It might sound like an easy fix, but it's not straightforward for many employers. “When you get into more complex organizations where they might have multiple locations, offsite employees, they may have different needs. Some of these are tailored more for people at one location or have one type of job. When they solicit input from employees, make sure they're really getting a diversity of input.”

Getting employee input would help employers not only tailor programs that fit employees' needs, but also give employers would also have a better understanding of why it is that employees aren't participating in programs. The top reason for not participating is conflict with work responsibilities, but a combined 28 percent are embarrassed or concerned about being judged for their participation.

“We're in a society where there's a stigma sometimes when you ask for help and you're seen potentially as a victim,” Johnson says. “That's not the case, but making sure that program offerings are structured in such a way where if it is something an employee is concerned about, they're assured there's a mechanism in place to protect them from shame or embarrassment.”

Clearly, there's a lot of work to be done to make employee wellness programs more effective. But at least now employers have an idea of where to start. “Involving employees early and often, and adding just a few valued programs may dramatically improve the results of these programs, and consequently, our businesses and lives,” the authors conclude.

More ways to improve your wellness program:

• Improve employee well-being with a new focus: Return on Health
• 8 out-of-the-box ways to improve employee wellness
• Wellness participation: How data drives engagement