Many employers are getting tricked by wellness programs that don't fit their needs or provide value. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The only thing spookier than not having a wellness program in place is having one that doesn't reduce costs while improving the health of your employees. Unfortunately, for most employers, current health care offerings makes this situation a reality.

Employers are spending money on wellness but not seeing much of a return. The results they hope to see are that employees start taking preventive steps to stave off chronic disease and catch problems before they become more serious (and costly) issues. Instead, many are getting tricked by wellness programs that don't fit their needs or provide value. It's important that a health and well-being platform is simple to use, addresses chronic conditions and employee lifestyles, and uses predictive analytics to prevent health issues—which can lead to major savings for employers and improved life for its people.

Related: 6 statistics highlighting the trends in employee health and wellness today

Employee health benefits are typically an employer's second most expensive line item, right behind payroll. And an employer's pharmacy benefit is typically 30 to 50 percent of the total health benefits spend—thanks, in part, to treatment for chronic conditions. It's imperative that employers have a program in place that helps them control these costs, not for some but for all.

Unfortunately, just 19 percent of employers feel that their wellness program has an impact on chronic diseases. More needs to be done to develop wellness programs that actually move the needle for employees and employers.

To make wellness work for everyone, employers need to ensure their programs meet three goals.

Wellness has to be easy

Your most motivated employees will be inclined to participate in a wellness program—they may see it as a fun way to continue improving their health and reaching their goals. But they're not necessarily your target audience.

Your employees who aren't naturally drawn to the idea of a wellness program are likely the ones who need the most help getting well. Wellness has to be easy enough for them to see the appeal in participating. A program that's difficult to join, difficult to participate in and feels too much like work won't get used by your target audience—the employees who are ripe for a wellness intervention.

A wellness program should incorporate behavioral economics and behavior change principles to make it easy for employees to set goals, make small changes and be rewarded for their forward progress.

Wellness has to address chronic conditions

The cost of chronic diseases is weighing down your health plan and causing employee productivity to dip. Unfortunately, it's unlikely that your wellness program addresses chronic conditions in an intelligent way.

For a program to be effective, it should start with an easy-to-complete private health assessment that identifies employees at or near risk and offers specific, personalized recommendations for improvement. The program should also educate your employees on any chronic conditions they face, teach them to begin self-managing their health and use lifestyle management programs to fully engage them with behavioral science based on personal archetypes.

Wellness has to include predictive analytics

Helping your employees manage chronic conditions can help to improve your workforce, lower claims and keep employees healthy and productive. But preventing conditions from ever emerging could be even more valuable to your health and wellness strategy.

A wellness program that includes analytics can help employees understand their health risks and take steps to prevent chronic conditions such as heart disease, COPD or diabetes.

Wellness programs are a given in practically any company. If designed right, they can help employees and employers see health and financial results. And that's a treat for everyone.

More ways to build up your wellness program:

• 9 best practices to increase engagement in wellness programs
• 8 out-of-the-box ways to improve employee wellness
• Wellness participation: How data drives engagement

Hal F. Rosenbluth is chairman and CEO of New Ocean Health Solutions.