Employee Wellness Program

Employee wellness programs, also known as worksite wellness programs or employee well-being programs, refer to a collection of initiatives within an organization that promote healthy lifestyles among employees and, in some cases, their spouses and dependents. These programs address various dimensions of employee health and well-being.

Employee wellness programs are strategic tools for building a thriving, people-first workplace. When thoughtfully implemented, these programs support employee well-being and organizational success. Benefits of employee wellness programs include:

Wellness challenges are a set of activities and contests designed to encourage employees to engage in healthy behaviors. They are also great team building tools that help improve employee engagement and a sense of belonging within the organization. Wellness challenges can be designed to address a broad range of topics, including physical, mental, financial, social, and environmental well-being. With advancements in wearable devices and mobile apps, tracking is much simpler and more accessible than ever.

Providing access to mental health resources, such as counseling sessions, online mental health services, and workshops on mental well-being can significantly boost employee well-being. These resources help break down the stigma associated with mental health issues and ensure employees have the support they need to manage stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges.

With the promise of controlling costs with more affordable visits, telemedicine has surged over the last decade. It involves the use of electronic communications and software to provide clinical services to patients without an in-person visit. It is frequently used for follow-up visits, management of chronic conditions, medication management, specialist consultation, and other clinical services.

For companies aiming to encourage fitness during the workday, fitness classes are an effective solution. These classes not only deliver a great workout but also foster camaraderie, fun, and team building. Additionally, research suggests that group exercise significantly boosts mental health. For businesses without suitable spaces, sponsoring fitness classes at third-party facilities or offering on-demand classes is an excellent alternative.

Beyond physical exercise, fitness classes can include activities like guided meditation, improving well-being and reducing stress without extensive facility requirements.

Stress management and resilience programs help employees practice emotional regulation and build confidence against future stressors. Effective tools include workshops on stress reduction techniques and access to digital platforms for stress management.

Sleep management programs highlight the importance of sleep and provide employees with tools to improve sleep quality. These can include educational resources on sleep hygiene, rest-related challenges, discounts on sleep aids, and policies that encourage healthy work-life boundaries to prevent burnout.

Smoking rates among U.S. adults have steadily declined over the last decade, but according to the CDC, tobacco product use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the country. Nearly 1 in 5 adults report tobacco product use with cigarettes being the most used product type. Approximately two-thirds of adults who smoke want to quit, and over half have recently tried, but less than 10% have succeeded. A tobacco cessation program can (and should be) multi-faceted to address individual needs, but the main goal is to provide tobacco smokers the support and resources they need to quit.

Health education/literacy programs are usually the first initiative to be offered at organizations due to their scalability and low cost. These programs provide employees with access to relevant, quality, and timely health content through on-site seminars or online webinars, as well as through other media such as newsletters or wellness brochures. With the growing amount of misinformation available to consumers via the internet, employer-facilitated health literacy is becoming increasingly important. These educational sessions can be tailored to address any dimension of wellness as employers see fit for their organization.

A lifestyle spending account (LSA) is an employer-provided benefits account that supports diverse workforce needs. Employees are given a one-time or recurring stipend to pay for lifestyle and wellness-related products and services of their choice. This can include expenses like gym memberships, childcare, pet care, leisure activities, travel, and more. The key feature of an LSA is its flexibility, allowing employees to choose how to best use their funds based on individual preferences.

Flu shot clinics mainly address employees' physical wellness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu costs the U.S. approximately $10.5 billion in direct costs, hospitalizations, and outpatient visits for adults. The indirect costs of lost productivity and sick leave for employers are also significant. Recent flu seasons have been some of the worse in decades, driving more companies to look into launch flu shot clinics as part of their employee wellness program. These clinics are usually one-day events with nurses coming to the office/facility and administering flu shots.

Free food has always been an employee-favorite perk. However, salty chips and candies, while appealing, might not be the best option for a mid-afternoon snack. To promote healthy eating, organizations are opting to stock their kitchen with more nutritious options, such as snacks with whole grains, healthy fats, and protein. Running a nutrition challenge can also support employees in making healthier food choices inside and outside of the office.

For organizations looking to double down on physical well-being, providing standing desks isn’t enough. Reimbursing employees for the membership cost of exercise facilities can encourage them to work out without eating into normal work hours (a potential tradeoff of offering on-site fitness classes). This is an attractive benefit, especially for millennials, who place high consideration on total rewards programs and benefits.

Mindfulness and meditation programs help employees reduce stress, improve focus, and increase resilience. These programs can be delivered through guided meditation sessions, mindfulness training workshops, or access to apps that employees can use at their convenience. Incorporating these practices into wellness offerings can help create a more mindful workplace environment, improving employee well-being and productivity.

In a recent study, 70% of U.S. adults reported that their financial stress is at an all-time high. As the cost of living continues to rise, wellness offerings are rapidly gaining popularity. Many organizations enroll the assistance of financial professionals to provide employees with personalized counseling or financial planning. These sessions may be one-on-one (more expensive) or in a group format (more affordable).

Employee health coaching refers to personalized educational sessions with a certified health expert that can be conducted in either one-on-one or group formats. Some companies offer health coaching as a next step for employees identified as high-risk through a biometric screening or health risk assessment, while others extend the benefit to anybody in the organization who is looking for guidance and support to improve their health. Because health coaching sessions are personalized, they can address any dimension of well-being for which employees request assistance.

FREE EBOOK: EMPLOYEE HEALTH COACHING 101

Health fairs are educational and interactive events where employers can provide employees with basic health education as well as overviews on health benefits available to them. On-site fairs are usually scheduled during the workday, employees can take a break to visit booths to learn about a number of well-being topics and identify helpful benefits that they may not be using. Virtual health fairs are a great alternative for companies with remote or hybrid employees.

Health clinics provide convenient access to health care for employees and are also staffed with clinicians who are familiar with the organization's policies, benefit plans, and work environment. In many cases, on-site or near-site clinics can resolve a majority of its visits without referring employees to other facilities, which can result in cost-reduction for both the organization and its employees.

Disease management programs are structured treatment plans that aim to help people better manage chronic disease(s) and maintain and improve quality of life. A team of health professionals, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, etc., are involved to educate participants on an ongoing basis about how to better manage their conditions. Some programs might be more patient-directed and include counseling, home visits, 24-hour call centers, and appointment reminder systems to support individuals who are managing their chronic condition(s). Increasingly, these programs are becoming digitized and more affordable as less human intervention is required.

Physician engagement programs encourage employees to participate in annual physical exams with their primary care providers. These programs can include incentives for completing annual check-ups and creating channels for scheduling appointments. While the goal is to promote early detection and management of health issues, research questions the efficacy of annual physicals. The primary focus should be on fostering a proactive relationship between employees and their healthcare providers.

Weight management programs specifically focus on helping employees achieve a healthy weight. Through a combination of digital and human interventions that primarily focus on exercise and nutrition, weight management programs hope to reduce the health risks of employees. Since most individuals are not at a healthy weight, the benefit has the potential to be useful to a broad audience.

An old staple of wellness programs, biometric screenings involve measuring employees' physical characteristics, such as body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose level, and more. This type of program mainly aims to address physical wellness. The rationale for providing biometric screenings at work is the belief that early detection of diseases and assessment of health risks can help employees become aware of and more effectively treat their health conditions. Some biometric screening programs act as a funnel to register high-risk employees for disease management programs.

Also referred to as health risk appraisal, an HRA is an instrument used to collect health information on employees. It is typically coupled with biometric screenings to assess an individual's health status, risks, and habits. Unlike biometric screenings, HRA data is self-reported, so the information being collected for employers and used to provide feedback for employees is subject to the bias and limitations of the respondent.