Whether or whether wellness programs designed to encourage health and well-being in the workplace are effective has been a topic of discussion as of late. To us, it’s the same as wondering whether the company’s evaluations, training programs, employee aid services, and other activities improve productivity and profits. Truthfully, some people succeed while others don’t. How they are planned and carried out is usually the deciding factor. Know more about the corporate wellness platform.
To that end, how can one develop a health promotion program supported by factual data? What are some of the most typical mistakes businesses face that lead to ineffective or counterproductive programs, and what can be done to prevent them?
Based on the most recent studies on workplace programs, professional guidance from practitioners, and frank interviews with business executives, this book provides actionable recommendations to companies of all sizes.
Limited to conducting health risk evaluations
Health evaluations often include questions concerning modifiable hazards, including smoking, lack of exercise, unhealthy eating habits, and stress. Biometric checks for blood pressure, cholesterol, height/weight, and blood glucose levels are often included in such questionnaires. However, employees need to be provided with the necessary information and tools to alter and monitor their habits; receiving feedback reports that remind them that smoking, not exercising, or being overweight is harmful will not drive them to change.
Asking workers to fill out a 15-minute questionnaire won’t do much to change their decades-long pattern of unhealthy behavior. Furthermore, for generally healthy workers, regular biometric monitoring is frequently unnecessary. From a clinical perspective, it may do more damage than good due to unwanted follow-up therapies’ needless and expensive nature.
Financial incentives for behavioral modification
Popular though they may be, financial incentive schemes may not produce sustainable changes in behavior and may instead increase anger and even revolt among employees. This is because many classic incentive programs believe individuals would act rationally if they were financially rewarded. However, behavioral economics studies show us that sometimes individuals act irrationally, even when it goes against their best interests. When the immediate gratification of a habit (like smoking, overeating pizza, or watching too much TV) is greater than the potential long-term advantages, people may choose the latter.
Your health insurance plan’s website
It has come to our attention that some companies make a mistake in sending their workers to an insurer-provided website for a wellness program. It is only when these low-key initiatives are included in a more extensive, all-encompassing health promotion program that they may have an impact on population health.
Introducing Limited-Duration Efforts
Well-intentioned but haphazard attempts to improve health, such as Biggest Loser-themed parties or pedometer challenges, are ineffective. They might be counterproductive if they encourage band-aid solutions rather than systemic change.
