While many wellness programs fail, a few really stand out and succeed.  When corporations invest into the wellbeing and happiness of their employees and take the time to implement the right programs, it pays dividends.

A Wellness Program Isn’t Effective by Default

The overall statistics from wellness programs in America aren’t always impressive. Eighty-percent of organizations offer a wellness program of some kind, but most focus on direct ROI instead of outcomes that align with their employees’ interests. When companies shift their mindset to value the ‘wholeness’ of a person who comes to work rather than a bunch of worker bees the value of the program increases and the VOI (Value on Investment) is substantial and the ROI follows suit.

Successful VOI can be measured by increased productivity, less absenteeism, boosted moral and lower direct medical expenses. In line with this concept, Harvard Business Review came up with a guide for dos and don’ts when planning and implementing a wellness strategy. The guide focuses on aligning the programs and benefits with the employees’ individual interests and needs.

Finding the Right Wellbeing Program

There isn’t a one size fits all in the wellbeing world. That being said, there are some key components that consistently correlate to successful workplace programs and positive VOI:  

1) Individualized health and nutrition coaching

2) Multi-faceted programs that incorporate presentation/learning, education & an engaging activity, social event or challenge

3) Interesting topics or themes that your employees actually care about- drive engagement!

Oakwood Homes has spent the last year working with progressive Denver-based wellbeing strategist Natalie Steiner. What makes the program work so well is the combination of structured educational themes that change from month to month along with individual nutrition and health coaching. Each employee can meet with a Certified Nutrition Specialist weekly or monthly to assist them in achieving their goals of weight loss, healthier living, better mental health, stress reduction, hormonal health, etc. Oakwood and Steiner also put on great themed programs that change from month to month to keep engagement strong such as:

Steiner’s programs are built with Functional Medicine in mind as she takes a scientific, diagnostic and realistic approach to drive engagement and results. To get more information on working with Natalie Steiner in your organization visit www.nataliesteiner.com

Johnson & Johnson: A Culture of Health

Johnson & Johnson’s Culture of Health integrates wellness throughout the organization. The company takes a holistic approach to wellness, focusing on every aspect of health both physical and mental, and leadership buy-in and advocacy efforts promote high participation and trust in the programs.

In addition to the standard healthcare services, Johnson & Johnson promotes an active lifestyle through a healthy workplace with fitness centers, healthy food selections in the cafeteria, and seasonal fitness challenges. They also offer health coaching services and reimbursement for exercise related expenses outside of work and create a culture where it’s not only acceptable but actually expected of employees to use all of their vacation time.

The physical workplace plays a big role in wellness. Johnson & Johnson makes the most of their facility by providing a progressive workplace that supports their employees. “Non-desk space,” for example, provides a variety of settings where employees can collaborate and take breaks. This makes it easier for employees to do their work and reduces environmental stresses such as noise disturbance and fatigue that accompanies unvaried surroundings.

These wellness investments are paying off. Johnson & Johnson is seeing a direct ROI on healthcare costs of about $2-$4 for every dollar spent on the program and active employee engagement in the high 90 percent range, triple the national average of 32%. On top of financial and productivity benefits for the company, employees see measurable increases in their overall health.

Honest Tea: A More Active Lifestyle

Honest Tea is another example of a company embracing wellness in their culture. The company purposefully avoids calculating monetary savings and ROI for their wellness program, instead recognizing that employee wellness is “part of good business” and prioritizing employee health over the economics of the wellness program.

After their initial efforts to provide yoga classes were unsuccessful, executives and human resources surveyed employees to tailor the wellness program to their needs. From this feedback, Honest Tea discovered that their employees were very active and preferred more strenuous activities, such as rock climbing. The company updated their fitness program to

match employee preferences and participation rose to over fifty percent. And when the company gave their employees free bikes, many started using them for their commute!

This success led Honest Tea to create a “Culture Committee,” a committee of employees empowered to take ownership of the company’s wellness strategy by organizing events, activities, and programs themselves.

Create an Exceptional Wellness Program

These three examples show that the question organizations should be asking isn’t “Is a wellness program worth it?” but rather “How can my wellness strategy support my employees?” Great wellness programs can benefit both employees and the organizations they work for. It’s just a matter of finding a strategy that works for your employees and engages them to participate.

Not sure where to start? Schedule a 30 minute consultation call with Natalie Steiner- Wellbeing Strategist today at www.nataliesteiner.com