October 2021

Wellness Incentives Help Drive Healthy Employee Behaviors

Incentives are available as part of our health management and advocacy offerings, Wellbeing Management and Health Advocacy Solutions for groups with 151+ subscribers.

As employees return to the workplace across America, employers are revising their well-being programs to address the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Employers are especially focusing on mental and emotional health, work/life balance and employee financial health, according to the Society for Human Resource Management  (SHRM)¹.

Large employers are expanding their well-being programs, SHRM reported. Total budgets for such programs averaged $6 million in 2021. That’s up from an average of $4.9 million the year prior. Across both years, these companies spent an average of $234 per employee on wellness offerings.

Structuring wellness to succeed with incentives
Wellness programs should focus on helping employees adopt and maintain healthy behaviors. Motivation – often meaning incentives – is key to driving behaviors.

The benefits of financial motivation may far outweigh the costs. Evidence shows that incentives raise employee participation in sponsored wellness programs. In turn, that participation helps promote healthy behavior changes and helps control future costs. Plus, healthy and active employees tend to be more engaged and productive at work.

Studies show that rewarding employees for making healthy life choices helps:

• Avoid acute care events
• Promote prevention of and/or early intervention in chronic diseases
• Encourage healthy employees to maintain healthy lifestyles

Our analysis shows that the leading health activities that our clients reward include a health assessment, health coaching programs and/or an annual physical exam². The most popular rewards that we deliver for our clients include Health Care Account contributions, medical deductible credits and e-gift cards. All are easily blended within our wellness platform to maximize the member experience and minimize administrative burden on our clients.

Creating incentive packages with impact
We’ve offered incentives since 2005. In 2020, we revamped offerings to align enhancements across our health management and advocacy portfolio.

You can choose from two different wellness packages. Each is designed to drive employee engagement toward better health and to control future costs associated with poor lifestyle habits. Each also supports administration of rewards and reporting of program participation.

Best practices
We’ve learned that employers implementing incentives programs should embrace several best practices:

• Create a three-year strategic roadmap with the health improvement goals you want to achieve
• Make the program easy to understand
• Focus on employees who are at risk of declining health
• Structure incentives to raise the bar and challenge employees to achievable goals
• Create a health calendar to guide frequent employee wellness communications

Let’s work together to tailor a wellness program that fits your workplace needs. Contact your account executive today to learn which incentives package might work for you.

¹Employers Enhance Well-Being Benefits for a Post-Pandemic Workforce ,SHRM.org, June 16, 2021

²Based on analysis of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas by number of clients offering the incentive. Blue Points^SM and Maternity not included in analysis.