Toolkit: Designing and Managing Effective Wellness Programs

Employer-supported vaccine clinics may make it more convenient for employees to get vaccinated, help boost vaccination rates, and reduce the spread of infectious diseases in the workplace.  

Nutrition programs may focus on specific conditions such as obesity, or promote healthier lifestyle choices, such as reducing salt and carbohydrate intake. Large organizations might introduce nutritious cafeteria menus, while smaller companies can provide healthy food options at meetings.

Low-impact exercise programs, such as walking groups, can be scheduled before or after work or during breaks or mealtimes. These low- or no-cost initiatives can also be tracked through various apps.

Though in-house fitness centers can be an excellent employee benefit, employers should be aware of their potential costs, including for the facility, equipment, and staff. There are also potential liabilities, and those providing an in-house gym should consider requiring a waiver.

Biometric screenings typically measure key health indicators such as blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, and body composition, while aerobic capacity tests assess overall fitness. An employer’s medical department or external providers can conduct the screenings, and employees can use their results to benchmark their health. Employee perceptions of screenings vary, so employers must balance privacy concerns and legal compliance with any benefits from promoting health screenings.

Health risk assessments help employees better understand and manage their health, but getting them to participate can be challenging. Employers often use incentives such as cash, premium reductions, HSA/FSA contributions, merchandise, or other health care cost reductions, to encourage completion. Mandating assessments for coverage eligibility introduces significant legal risks that must be carefully managed.

Although cigarette smoking among U.S. workers has been declining for decades, using electronic cigarettes, or vaping, is surging in popularity, providing a new set of challenges for employers. As a baseline, employers can promote a smoke-free, vape-free workplace, cultivate a culture that supports wellness through nonjudgmental messaging on health dangers, and encourage health risk appraisals and smoking/vaping cessation counseling from employees' own physicians.

Other options include:

• Providing access to resources that offer professional coaching and ongoing encouragement to help employees quit.
• Ensuring coverage for cessation medication and therapies with no out-of-pocket costs.
• Eliminating employee co-payments for cessation-related expenses and providing other incentives.

Employer-sponsored stress reduction programs can help employees recognize when stress becomes unhealthy, affecting their personal and professional lives, with potentially severe personal and financial costs. Some common programs and practices include:

• Employee assistance programs (EAPs), which 73% of employers around the world use to address employee stress. 
• Work/life balance programs and flexible work schedules.
• Incorporating mindfulness practices into the workplace.
• Stress management resources, including books, music, and online information.
• Concierge services.
• Yoga classes.
• Onsite nap rooms.

Financial wellness programs typically seek to improve employees' financial literacy by addressing challenges such as creating and maintaining a household budget and taking steps to reduce long-term debt. Other frequently addressed topics include saving for milestone events such as buying a home or funding a college education.

A variety of incentives — such as cash, gift cards, and HSA or FSA contributions — can encourage employee participation in health improvement programs, as can reducing employer health plan contributions for nonparticipation. Health insurance premium reductions are widely considered the most effective incentive and are often tied to activities such as risk assessments, weight loss programs, and not using tobacco. However, wellness incentives must be carefully designed to avoid unintentionally encouraging unhealthy behaviors, such as unsafe weight loss or short-term fitness participation.