Corporate wellness programs are designed to support and encourage a holistic approach to employee well-being by creating an organizational culture of health. Offering a corporate wellness program cultivates healthy habits among employees and improves health outcomes, with the idea of increasing productivity, optimizing human resource investments, and boosting employee engagement. PHP, an Indiana-based, not-for-profit health insurance company, has great interest in cultivating healthy habits that improve health outcomes. Healthier PHP members mean fewer health claims and a healthier workforce for our clients.
Preventing chronic disease through corporate wellness programs
Many chronic diseases are preventable. Implementing a holistic approach to corporate wellness programs is a way to educate employees on the importance of creating healthy habits and the benefits of sticking to wellness goals. PHP sees the value of incorporating wellness initiatives into the workplace and has expanded our own wellness program approach from a one-size-fits-all to a wellness program tailored to each of our insured companies.
PHP’s experience: My Perspective
When I came on board with PHP in 2020, one of my top goals was to build on the existing wellness program and enhance efforts that had been made. I’ve learned a lot in the past year and there is still plenty of room for improvement.
I’d like to share what has worked well for PHP to create a successful and engaging wellness program for our team and what has been challenging for us.
PHP Wellness Program Insights
Team member interest and engagement
Health and wellness goals and interests amongst employees are generally very diverse. Everyone is at a different point in their wellness journey, whether it’s focusing on things such as eating healthier, moving more, managing stress levels, weight loss, or simply just maintaining a current plan. If you are planning a wellness program for your team, make sure you have a well-rounded program (think 360 degrees—from physical and mental health, to financial, and beyond) suitable for all team members. Surveying your employees is a quick way to get feedback and topics of interest. Also, if results show the need for more engagement in one particular area, such as on-site or virtual fitness class, you can tailor your plan throughout the year to accommodate multiple requests and needs.
- PHP Wellness in Action: PHP tuned into our employee population and interests to make sure our wellness program was well-rounded, hitting all aspects of health and wellness. This, in turn, really improved overall engagement as just under 80% of PHP employees participated in our 2020 wellness program in some capacity.
Funding and incentives
Having a wellness program budget and incentives, big or small, can help create a vision for your wellness program year-over-year, rather than approaching the program one initiative at a time. If you offer incentives, such as gifts, prizes, or other, they don’t have to be health-related or costly. Think creatively and outside the box. Incentives could be a traveling trophy that gets displayed at an individual’s desk or within a department, a designated front row parking space for a month, or having coffee with the CEO. Bragging rights or a company logo t-shirt can also go a long way too. You can have an effective wellness program on a small budget.
- PHP Wellness in Action: Due to the effects of COVID-19, PHP had a lower budget for our wellness program in 2021. We had to rethink a few of our planned activities and incentives. For example, we leveraged tickets for events that PHP already sponsored as employee incentives, giving employees the opportunity to attend Tincaps and Komet games. This supported our community and got our employees involved with local events.
Flexibility and innovation
Employee populations are dynamic, ever-changing, and your wellness program must be fluid and adapt to the population and culture to be continually successful. Being open to change and thinking creatively is vital to measure continued success of a wellness program.
- PHP Wellness in Action: Being flexible and innovative was particularly necessary in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. PHP had to get extremely creative quickly with our own team. How does a corporation incentivize employees working remotely? This challenge brought a quick advancement in technology as the majority of the programs, such as wellness presentations, transitioned from in-person to virtual presentations.
Support from upper management
The future and success of a wellness program is very much controlled by the support and involvement of upper management within an organization. If there is not support or engagement from corporate leadership, employees sense a level of hypocrisy, unimportance, and might question if they will be supported by participating.
- PHP Wellness in Action: We organized a variety of step challenges throughout the year and the one program that gained the most traction was our “Beat the Boss Challenge.” This challenge called for employees to try to outstep our CEO, Gary Shearer. PHP is very fortunate to have a CEO that is engaged with our wellness program, yet going head-on with him in this challenge increased employee engagement and excitement with employees following his lead. Through Gary’s example, I truly saw firsthand that wellness programs thrive under upper management and CEOs who get involved in what is happening with their employees demonstrate a level of compassion and concern that would not be expressed otherwise.
Start building an employee wellness program today
All in all, wellness programs are challenging and require a significant personal, emotional, and corporate commitment to realize the greatest results. Wellness programs are an investment and, over time, offer a return. Through trial and correction, a successful wellness program is attainable and measurable results will be seen.
By committing to small, consistent opportunities for employees to improve their lifestyle, employers can help their staff prevent chronic illness and optimize their daily health and workplace performance. When committed, small healthy habits lead to longer, healthier lives—and more dependable, productive employees.
PHP can help you with your employee wellness needs
Reach out to PHP today to see how we can help your company implement or improve an online or on-site wellness program for employees. We offer a variety of options including physical health, mental health, mindfulness, financial health, and functional movement. We’re right here in northern Indiana and we’re only a phone call away.
