Welltok announced findings around the value of employee wellness program engagement. The research confirms that employee health and well-being programs are not only good for employees, but for the company’s bottom line. According to the research, an employer group with 10,000 employees could drive almost $3 million in annual new value by increasing engagement by 10 percent in key health activities among employees and dependents. High value activities include better management of chronic conditions, improved emotional health and optimal medication use, which all contribute to reductions in medical costs and improvements in on-job productivity.
A recent report by Welltok and the National Business Group on Health (NBGH) validated that employees want their employers to play a bigger role in their health. Getting cost effective care and providing emotional/personal support resources ranked highest among respondents (77 percent and 74 percent agreed or strongly agreed, respectively). The majority of employees also see a role for their employer in helping them to stop unhealthy behaviors or managing financial issues (53 percent agreed or strongly agreed).
“Our employer clients are taking a more holistic approach to healthcare, supporting employees and their families across all aspects of their health, including emotional, financial, social and physical,” said Michelle Snyder, chief marketing officer for Welltok. “As employees are taking on more of the cost burden for healthcare, they are not only welcoming the support, but are increasingly expecting it.”
4 Strategies to Improve Employee Health Engagement
To dramatically increase employee health engagement, employers need to focus on four key strategies:
1. Focus on Impact. Having a clear-headed strategy on how to bring the most value for employees, at the same time as driving financial results, will enable you to focus your efforts.
2. Build Employee Trust. Employees who truly believe that their employers want them to be happy and healthy will actively participate.
3. Be Relevant for Each Person. Employers will see significant impact if they can leverage advanced analytics to make the experience of health engagement personal.
4. Make it Easy. Choosing new health behaviors and taking action can be difficult for the individuals making change. Employers who make it easy and provide “onestop-shopping” for health engagement with integrated rewards and multi-channel nudges will see large lifts in results.
