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Employee wellness initiatives have taken many forms over the last 5-10 years. They have ranged from biometric screenings to company exercise groups to discounts on health insurance. Each company does it differently, depending on what is most effective for their specific organization. But according to this Washington Post article, employee wellness is taking a new turn and it's compelling for both employers and employees. Employee wellness is becoming part of company culture. With a growing millennial component to the American workforce, employers are focusing on enticing younger employees with perks and attractive cultural components in the work environment. Wellness programs are shifting to be a component of these types of company culture and positioning efforts. So what does it mean for employers? How can they measure ROI when they take tangible metrics and transition them into the "intangible benefits" so important to difficult-to-please millennial? Here are a few ways:

Employers are at all points on the learning curve when it comes to health and wellness programs. However, as employee engagement increases, so does employer health and wellness spending. The average per employee cost for health and wellness programs is up almost $100 over 2014 and the use of screenings and carrot rewards to boost engagement are also increasing. The decreased use of "stick" disincentives along with the increased use of biometric benchmarking is making health and wellness programs more inviting to employees. According to a recent study of employers offering health and wellness programming in 2015:

As wellness programs become a mainstream part of HR programming, and a sought after employee benefit, it's important to know what you're getting into. Some employers are now building wellness programs to "check the box." Adding a smoking cessation program, or a weight loss group to the office culture to help reduce insurance cost, or satiate the employee desire to get healthier. However, even if you plan to make a small investment in an employee wellness program, it's important that you find the right options for your staff and for your bottom line. Here are a few tips that will help you get your wellness program on track.

Health screenings are lifesaving techniques that are designed to find certain chronic diseases before a person begins to exhibit any signs of illness. In the U.S. alone, early detection health screenings save over 100,000 lives per year. The majority of healthcare providers also cover these screenings at no additional costs to members when in-network options are applied. In recent years, employer wellness programs have focused on obtaining a baseline biometric screening on employees. Employers use these baseline biometrics and then, once a member is engaged in applying and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, employers can use additional health screenings as a way to properly incentivize their employees. Our newest white paper, Rewards for Action: Building a Healthier Workforce through Early Detection, provides 10 critical preventative health screenings that can save lives.

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,