Employees who engage with wellness programs earlier respond more favorably and are healthier in the long term than employees who engage with wellness programs later. Biometric screenings provide gateway to early engagement, and provide an important opportunity to use incentives as carrot rewards for plan participation and healthier readings. Of the participants who received program incentives before their screenings,
- 7% were being treated for diabetes
- 14% were being treated for high blood pressure
- 19% were being treated for high cholesterol
In contrast, among those who first completed a biometric screening and had to work for incentives,
- 5% were being treated for diabetes
- 10% were being treated for high blood pressure
- 15% were being treated for high cholesterol
This is further proof for the long time theory that carrot rewards work well in motivating employees to reach specific, measurable goals. Having a goal and reward in mind helps motivate employees and keeps them on a healthy track. Healthy employees leads to increased productivity at work and lower healthcare costs for employers and employees over time. Knowing your workplace population is extremely important when designing health and wellness programs. Identify who is first to sign on to health and wellness programs, then design incentive plans and rewards to encourage the least healthy employees to join the program and begin their climb to a healthy lifestyle.
