Now, our current wellness program is still completely voluntary, but there is no longer an incentive to participate because participation is no longer tied to insurance discounts. Thus, our main challenge lies in engagement rather than implementation.

We find that it's the same employees participating in the wellness activities we offer, and those people are usually the ones that are active on their own without the needed "motivation" from our initiatives.

That being said, we consistently consider what employees want in a wellness program through a company-wide wellness survey, and we are constantly discussing ideas that would speak to the masses.

Lindsay Khan, Wellness Coordinator
Four Winds Interactive

Good for employee health, good for company ROI 

The business case for health and wellness programs is clear. These programs can significantly reduce employees' health risks, which impact health care costs, productivity, and quality of life. Companies that invest in a culture of health have significantly outperformed the S&P 500 Index, according to a recent study published by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Recently, we've seen a shift in employers' thinking about how they perceive and value wellness programs. Increasingly, employers recognize the importance of employee total well-being, so they are building wellness strategies around not only physical health, but financial and emotional health as well.

Additionally, they view the value of wellness programs along a continuum in which cost containment is just one small component. Other parts of the value chain include improved health, better productivity and presenteeism, stronger business performance, and enhanced employee well-being.

As employers become more interested in metrics besides health cost savings, we need access to more data, and we must start connecting that data to wellness programs. For example, Optum has moved away from the traditional health risk assessment. We now call it a "health survey" because it includes questions for employees about their quality of life, social connectedness, productivity, and ability to navigate the health care system.  

As for results, programs such as wellness coaching have delivered. Among Optum members who completed wellness coaching, 58 percent quit or reduced their use of tobacco by 50 percent or more, 56 percent lost weight (an average of 10–13 pounds) and 46 percent reduced their stress levels. Employees using Optum's employee assistance program, which provides consultations with behavioral health professionals, had a 63 percent decrease in days absent.

At a national financial services company, nearly 40 percent of employees who underwent a telephonic wellness coaching program reported lifestyle improvements — weight loss, increased exercise, reduced stress, better nutrition, and tobacco cessation. The firm's employees missed fewer days of work due to illness than during the previous year, and reported higher satisfaction with their jobs and overall quality of life.

Wellness programs can drive much more than enhanced physical wellness. The goal should be higher performance. We advise clients that these programs should be viewed as more than a cost containment tactic. Rather, such programs need to be part of their broader business strategy, which includes improving employee satisfaction and growing revenues.

Seth Serxner, PhD, MPH, Chief Health Officer
Optum

Make wellness worth it

As the decades change and we progress into the 21st century, our culture is obviously evolving. Overall, the mindset of our generation is taking a major shift. We are becoming enamored with the concept of efficiency. I will always remember my grandparents bragging about how they "never went to the doctor in over 60 years."

Oftentimes, I hear sentiments like this repeated by my own parents, who also have an aversion to visiting the doctor. Frankly, this is dangerous and represents a mindset of a former, primitive culture. To me, comparatively, it's on par with using a pager in place of a cell phone.

It is a sad fact that each year, millions of people are diagnosed with an array of life-altering diseases that disrupt their whole means of existence. In so many cases, the effects of the illness could have been significantly mitigated or eliminated altogether if someone found something during a routine screening test.

Now I must acknowledge, some people do go to the doctor each year and take advantage of the benefits of their workplace wellness program. But the sad reality is, the percentage of people who actually follow through year after year are very low. One must think, how, in 2016, the same year that self-driving cars are starting to hit the roads, are people simply neglecting to do the little things to maintain their own health?

It takes a lot to overcome a very real engrained fear; however, there is one trump card that has been found to provide a solution. The solution boils down to another fundamental way of life: materialism. There is no question, people are motivated by incentive. The human brain is wired to acquire, to make oneself rich.

Wellness programs fall short when the incentive isn't worth the pain of triumphing an unpleasant cause. Medical tests, check-ups, and preventative screenings are often associated with anxiety, and stress. Nobody would want to go through that … unless they felt the benefit was worth the reward.

A very slim minority have the wherewithal to realize their own health is the actual incentive. But think about how an extra hundred dollars would change the minds of many about sitting through a check-up. One hundred bucks for a half-hour process? All of the sudden, a working man making 15 bucks an hour is making almost one full day's salary in 1/16th of the time. That sells. That's how you lead an effective wellness program. If nobody participates, it's not worth it. Make it worth it.

Michael P. Crispi, Associate Regional Sales Manager 
Allstate Benefits