Maximizing Participation in Your Wellness Program

Wellsource.com

A wellness program, however basic or elaborate it may be, is only as good as the level of participation. Organizations should aim for at least 80% participation in their programs, according to Dee Edington, PhD, a highly respected wellness program and ROI expert at the University of Michigan Health Research Center. Why 80%? Reaching at least 80% of your population ensures that your program is capturing those who need the program most, not just those who are already highly motivated and healthy. The more people you reach, the greater the impact on healthcare costs, employee productivity, presenteeism, and absenteeism. A recent study on best practices in health promotion identifies participation and program enrollment as one of the essential elements of a successful wellness program.

Although your health risk appraisal (HRA) is the fundamental component of your program, it alone does not make a wellness program. Offering health interventions and ongoing health activities will further your message and employee’s health progress throughout the year. Therefore, be sure to consider all components of your wellness program when addressing participation, not just your HRA.

Several factors are associated with high participation levels in your program. The more of these factors you have in place, the more likely you are to succeed in getting employees into your program and retaining them. These factors include:

Top management support: The CEO, President, and other leaders of the organization are essential to the success of your program. Involving them in planning and promotional processes will help to ensure success. Be sure they model the behaviors you expect from participants, as this will go a long way in boosting program participation. In addition, if you have unions within your organization, meet with them ahead of time to explain the program and answer any questions they may have about the program, making sure to emphasize privacy and confidentiality.

Wellness committee involvement: Your wellness committee is a great resource to help plan, promote, and involve potential participants. Meet with your committee 4-6 weeks before launching your program to help you plan promotional activities and kick-off events, market your program, and get the word out to employees. Their involvement will make your job much easier.

Employee meetings and communications: Meet with employees several weeks prior to your program launch to explain the program and the benefits for participating. Also, be sure to explain how privacy and confidentiality of participant data will be protected. Develop a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to hand out at the meetings to help answer common questions.

Incentives: Incentives, when used properly are one of the key components for increasing program participation. Examples may include benefits-linked rewards, cash incentives, or non-cash incentives. Not only will incentives increase participation, they will likely help you lower your healthcare costs.

Effective marketing strategies: Communication is one of the primary components for high participation rates.  Email blasts, paycheck inserts, posters, flyers, and personal invitation letters from your CEO or other senior leadership will go a long way in getting your message out to employees. Also, make your wellness events fun and enticing with items like healthy snacks and prize drawings.

Face-to-face time: Take time to visit employees, stop and talk with employees in the hallways, and/or set up a table in a cafeteria. Make yourself available to employees for questions. Invite yourself to meetings, such as the monthly safety committee meeting, to discuss the wellness program.  Ask senior leadership and 'thought leaders' in your organization to help you in these efforts – their support will go a long way in helping your cause.

Workplace culture: A healthy workplace culture goes a long way in promoting wellness. Management that allows participants paid time to complete a health screening and health risk appraisal, attend lunch and learn activities, and model wellness behaviors will likely see higher participation levels. Participants feel supported and positive about the program.

Wellness champions: Capitalize on those individuals who model good behavior or have made some healthy changes recently. Oftentimes, these employees can be your best marketing tools, as they’re sharing their wellness experience to friends and colleagues from a personal perspective.

Spouse involvement: Spouses can be influential in changing employee behavior. By asking the spouse to participate, you will not only be increasing participation in your program, but also positively affecting your healthcare bottom line.

The mark of a good wellness program is not simply how many great programs and activities you have in place. It's how effective the program is in accomplishing your goals. The higher the participation in your programs, the greater the impact will likely make.

Reference: Study Reveals Why Some Companies Pay More for Health Benefits than Others. 2007 SHPS Health Practices Study [release]. July 24, 2007.

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