Although millennials place a lower priority on medical care than other generations, they also expect employers to play an active role in supporting their overall health and well-being.
That is one of several conclusions that Aon Hewitt reached after analyzing the "2014 Consumer Health Mindset" report, a joint survey of more than 2,700 U.S. employees and their dependents.
- Fifty-four percent of millennials have had a physical in the past year.
- Thirty-nine percent said preventive care is important to remaining healthy.
- Twenty-one percent are likely to participate in a healthy eating or weight management program.
- However, 63 percent are likely to engage in regular exercise, the highest percentage of any generation surveyed.
What does this generation expect from employers? Fifty-three percent are more open to having their direct manager play an active role in encouraging them to get and stay healthy, and 16 percent are likely to participate in an employee assistance program.
"Given their younger age, most millennials are relatively healthy, so they may not feel a sense of urgency to go to the doctor regularly or eat a well-balanced diet," said Ray Baumruk, employee research leader at Aon Hewitt. "However, the lack of health prevention and maintenance when they're young may lead to greater health risks as they get older.
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"Employers should communicate the importance of participating in health-related activities now to avoid serious health issues later in life."
Employers can do several things to engage millennials in their workforce.
- Understand their motivation. Fifty-five percent said their motivation is to look good instead of avoid illness.
- Target the audience. Millennials are significantly more likely to prefer mobile apps, text or popular social channels to access both general and personal health information.
- Make it easy and convenient. Forty percent of millennials say they are more likely to participate in health and wellness programs if they are "easy or convenient to do."
- Add competition. Millennials are the most likely generation to be interested in "friendly competitions."
"Employees are increasingly defining well-being to include physical, emotional, financial and social health, and they will expect their employers to support them in their efforts to be healthy," said Karen Marlo, vice president of the National Business Group on Health. "Employers have a unique opportunity to engage and motivate the millennial generation, and they are likely to get the strongest results by demonstrating the benefits of establishing healthy habits and behaviors today, not just tomorrow."
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Alan Goforth
Alan Goforth is a freelance writer in suburban Kansas City. In addition to freelancing for several publications, he has written a dozen books about sports and other topics.
