Tips to Create a Better Wellness Program

When it comes to employee wellness, we all want long-term results, not just quick-fixes. Unfortunately, once we’ve decided to implement a wellness initiative we can get caught up a mindset of getting it done “now.”  And that attitude more than any can sink a wellness effort before it even gets going. When we realize that wellness is a collection of old habits that die hard.  We can then understand that our focus needs to be on changing those habits…something that takes time. 

According to Psychology Today, it takes 66 days to form a habit. Whether that habit is thirty minutes on the treadmill, running a mile, or eating more fruits and vegetables, it takes more than two months for it to stick. The key then is to focus a program on turning those kinds of wellness actions into regular habits.

Here are some ideas to help you create a program that focuses your employees on forming healthier habits:

• Do research to know what your employees want to gain from the program and help them with their goals; exercise, weight loss, lowering cholesterol or blood sugar, etc.  Every company finds different results so it’s important to find what the participation motivation is for your organization and their demographics 
• Test different formats, offer different program activation dates, different days of the week, times of the day, etc. Know the best design for your situation that allows the most participation.
• Measure your performance often. If your program structure or incentives aren’t motivating positive change, the program won’t be effective. Adjust and relaunch the structure when necessary.
• Embrace feedback. Make sure your employee population likes the program. While it may be tough to get in shape, or learn to eat healthy, employees should be able to see the value to their overall well being. Getting feedback ensures your program is on the right track, and if it’s not, you can change it in process rather than waiting weeks or months and having to overhaul the program. 
• Use incentives strategically. They should be about the kind of things that your employees want, not what you think they want or what you want them to have. The longevity and memory of the reward helps drive motivation to the next program milestone, and the more milestones, the more success your program recognizes.
• Communicate your successes.  It’s true that nothing succeeds like success.  Your employees like to see success and want to emulate those who are having it.