Employee health and wellness programs can be tough to get going and even tougher to keep employees engaged in. However, rather than delivering the program, involving employees in the execution of the program may be the key to long-term wellness program success.
Here are two tips we have to incorporate employee accountability into your wellness plan.
1. Set collective plan goals.
Wellness programs are by definition individual. They are focused on each individual’s wellness goals and metrics. Biometric screenings are individual, calorie burn is individual, and overall health is individual.
So, why set a plan-wide goal that no only involves multiple employees, but it also involves dependents? Sounds messy, right? However, setting collective goals brings accountability to a goal. If you don’t hit your metrics, you’re not just letting yourself down, you’re letting the whole plan group down. According to research from the Association for Talent Development, people are 65% more likely to reach a goal if it is shared. Why? Because other people are counting on them.
If you create a wellness collective within your organization, you will see a collective of success as well.
2. Incorporate wearable technology into your plan.
We all love gadgets, most people hold their phone in the same hand as their smart watch. Technology is part of our lives. Health apps and wearable tech allow technology to enable wellness.
Rather than employees feeling like they need to exercise or hit the gym, measure the fitness activities they do already. As employees walk their dog, or wind down at the end of the day by taking a walk with co-workers, they should get fitness credit for that. Don’t just track workouts, use apps and wearable tech to track the fitness already incorporated into employees’ day-to-day.
Wearable tech also ties employees into the accountability of their own wellness. It allows employees to check in on their own progress and track their fitness and wellness improvements. These fitness improvements can also help an organization track productivity improvement because according to a recent study, unhealthy employees are 43% more likely to disengage at work and in their wellness journey.
Incorporating employee accountability into a health and wellness program offered by an employer not only allows employers to track employee wellness and the cost on health benefits, but it also allows employees to feel included. Employee accountability can also lead to increased employee engagement and success of a health and wellness program.
