While many wellness programs fail, these organizations do it right

A wellness program isn’t effective by default.

Looking at the overall statistics from wellness programs in America, the results aren’t that impressive, and the average wellness program has a negative return. Although 80% of organizations offer a wellness program of some kind, most of them tend to focus their goals on the direct ROI instead of outcomes that align with their employees’ own interests.

Unsurprisingly, it’s the latter strategy that tends to work best, especially when looking at VOI (Value on Investment) over ROI. This is because the biggest impacts of workplace wellness are on productivity and direct medical expenses rather than insurance premiums. In line with this concept, Harvard Business Review came up with a guide for dos and don’ts when planning and implementing a wellness strategy. The guide focuses on engaging employees through participation in the planning and implementation process and aligning the programs and benefits with the employees’ individual interests and needs.

Look beyond the statistics and you’ll find many organizations doing workplace wellness right. Check out these three examples of successful wellness programs and you’ll learn how to build a solid wellness program in your own organization.

 

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