Healthcare costs are one of the biggest expenses businesses face today. If you’re an employer facing these escalating costs and looking for ways to curb them, consider implementing a workplace wellness program.

Wellness programs result in real savings: with savings-to-cost ratios of more than $3 saved for each $1 invested.

By improving employee health through gradual behavioral changes, workplace wellness programs reduce your overall healthcare costs. Sounds great, right?

But how do you make your program effective and get the greatest ROI? By incorporating promotional products.

  • Less than 1 in 5 employees will participate in wellness programs that do not offer rewards. This changes dramatically when incentives are offered…4 in 5 will participate!
  • The programs with the best outcomes almost always include incentives and rewards – not only to encourage participation but to reward for achieving goals.

Make It Successful
According to the Incentive Research Foundation, there are three components to changing behavior and adopting a healthier lifestyle:

  1. Incentives. Use incentives to get employees excited about the program, encourage participation and help them want to become healthier. Challenge employees to reach milestones with incentives throughout the program.
    What works: water bottles, pedometers, tote bags, lunch bags, wellness kits, micro-fiber towels, exercise bands, nutrition journals.
  2. Rewards. Reward as goals are achieved along the way to keep employees engaged and motivated. Rewarding successes, in addition to incentivizing participation, is what leads to prolonged change, not just a quick win.
    What works: Tees, hoodies, caps, workout active wear, fitness gear, gym bags.
  3. Recognition. At program completion, recognize accomplishments with a prize. By recognizing a job well done, employees feel rewarded for making healthy choices and keeping such habits a regular part of a healthy lifestyle.
    What works: Fleece jackets, MP3 player, merchandise certificates.