GiftCard Partners Blog

The use of incentives in wellness programs continues to increase, rising to 87% this year, up from 77% two years ago. According to Optum's Fifth Annual Wellness in the Workplace Study, 90% of large employers now offer incentives. It comes as no surprise with employers seeing an increased urgency for results in employee engagement. The Workplace Study is based on 545 employers that offer wellness programs of one kind or another. 60% of employers participating in the survey have at least 3,000 employees, 20% having between 100 and 2,999, and 20% have fewer than 100. Here are some of the major highlights of the study:

Wellness programs have become a key tool for employers looking to improve workforce health, boost engagement, and manage healthcare costs. However, the legal landscape surrounding incentives in workplace wellness programs has remained in flux since the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) first introduced guidance on the subject in 2015.

Wearable technology is gaining popularity in the consumer market and has the potential to transform the way employers structure their employee health and wellness initiatives. The transformation will have an effect on the price tag of these initiatives, but the direct effect of incorporating wearable technology will ease the time it takes for employers to track employee wellness activity. 

Corporate wellness programs are a hot topic amongst corporate HR departments, especially given the incentives available through the newly minted
Affordable Care Act rules that can provide discounts to employers and employees for healthy behavior. If you don't have a corporate wellness plan, it's time to put one in place. Healthier employees are more productive, and represent less financial risk to your organization. Here are a few tips to help you get going.

Workplace wellness trends have been a hot topic over the last few months.  Recently, the 
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, released
Workplace Wellness Trends: 2015, an in depth survey conducted last October which uncovered the most prevalent types of initiatives, wellness offerings and trends, wellness outcomes and ROI, as well as incentives and strategies.  78% of the survey findings were from US organizations while 22% were from Canadian organizations.  The glaring difference between the US and Canada was the focus on the healthcare system.  The Affordable Care Act's influence has most US organizations focusing more on controlling health-related costs while Canadian organizations were more likely to focus on investing in employee health and engagement. Here are some other notable survey findings: