Is your employee wellness program missing the mark?
By: Lifespeak Inc.
Tags: Corporate Wellness, Employee Benefits, Employee Engagement, Healthcare, Workplace

Knowing what will make your corporate wellness program may seem elusive at times, but we have some best practices that we feel are universal and critical. Below is our list of characteristics common among successful corporate well-being initiatives:

Encouraging workplace culture. This is one of the most important piece of the puzzle. Employees need to feel supported in their pursuit of better health. To achieve this, leadership must set the tone that employee well-being is a priority, and repeatedly remind employees to take advantage of their wellness benefits. Your staff will be more likely to use the program if they believe the organization genuinely cares about their health and wants to help them every step of the way.

This is one of the most important piece of the puzzle. Employees need to feel supported in their pursuit of better health. To achieve this, leadership must set the tone that employee well-being is a priority, and repeatedly remind employees to take advantage of their wellness benefits. Your staff will be more likely to use the program if they believe the organization genuinely cares about their health and wants to help them every step of the way. Assured privacy and confidentiality. Another critical component of an effective wellness program is safeguarding employee privacy. Like any other health record, your employees’ benefits data must be stored securely. You should also give them the option to access the resources confidentially and anonymously. This is easily done with digital wellness files that can be accessed from anonymous guest accounts. Knowing they can locate the health information they need without anyone finding out will instill trust in your employees and reduce barriers to using the system.

Another critical component of an effective wellness program is safeguarding employee privacy. Like any other health record, your employees’ benefits data must be stored securely. You should also give them the option to access the resources confidentially and anonymously. This is easily done with digital wellness files that can be accessed from anonymous guest accounts. Knowing they can locate the health information they need without anyone finding out will instill trust in your employees and reduce barriers to using the system. Convenience and ease of access. Speaking of barriers, it’s best to eliminate any hurdles that could impede employee access. The most obvious way is to make your program as ubiquitous as possible by digitizing your resources. If you have pamphlets or booklets, turn them into PDFs or webpages on your intranet. This will enable your staff to use the program anytime, anywhere. At LifeSpeak, we disseminate our resources in multiple formats (videos, podcasts, and tip sheets) so that employees can choose how they want to consume the content.

Speaking of barriers, it’s best to eliminate any hurdles that could impede employee access. The most obvious way is to make your program as ubiquitous as possible by digitizing your resources. If you have pamphlets or booklets, turn them into PDFs or webpages on your intranet. This will enable your staff to use the program anytime, anywhere. At LifeSpeak, we disseminate our resources in multiple formats (videos, podcasts, and tip sheets) so that employees can choose how they want to consume the content. Personalized and customizable experiences. Making several formats available is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to providing your employees with a personalized experience. The one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work in corporate wellness anymore; people need one-on-one support and it’s never been easier to give it to them. With the LifeSpeak platform, users have the option to sign in with individualized accounts, which they can use to create their own content playlists, ask anonymous questions to experts, complete quizzes, and measure their learning progress. This level of customization and interactivity is incredibly empowering and better helps employees reach their wellness goals.

Making several formats available is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to providing your employees with a personalized experience. The one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work in corporate wellness anymore; people need one-on-one support and it’s never been easier to give it to them. With the LifeSpeak platform, users have the option to sign in with individualized accounts, which they can use to create their own content playlists, ask anonymous questions to experts, complete quizzes, and measure their learning progress. This level of customization and interactivity is incredibly empowering and better helps employees reach their wellness goals. Wholistic resources. It’s important not to forget that physical health is only one aspect of total well-being. More robust programs, such as LifeSpeak, also address mental health, financial stability, professional development, parenting and caregiving, and a host of other issues that affect employees on a daily basis. If your staff already enjoys participating in step challenges, marathons, etc, be sure to incorporate activities that focus on alternative areas of health too, such as meditation retreats or mindfulness exercises.

It’s important not to forget that physical health is only one aspect of total well-being. More robust programs, such as LifeSpeak, also address mental health, financial stability, professional development, parenting and caregiving, and a host of other issues that affect employees on a daily basis. If your staff already enjoys participating in step challenges, marathons, etc, be sure to incorporate activities that focus on alternative areas of health too, such as meditation retreats or mindfulness exercises. Community-centric vision. We all know how personal circumstances can interfere with our professional lives. Whether it’s illness, divorce, or financial concerns, what we experience at home often follows us into work. That’s why your wellness program should encourage employees to access the resources at home and share them with their loved ones. Your organization will see much longer-lasting advantages by equipping employees with the tools to help their families improve their lives too.

Enhance your corporate wellness program today

With nearly 2000 detailed trainings from dozens of North America’s leading experts, we have everything you need to boost the effectiveness of your employee well-being initiative. Our platform is completely turnkey, which means you don’t have to do any of the setup; we handle everything from the content selection to communications for you. To learn more about LifeSpeak, please book a free demo today.