Personalization Is "The New Customization” In Wellness Programs

Personalization is known for driving success from nearly every industry, right from luxury travel to the applications of the smart phone. The more services and products can be customized to the individual habits, desires or goals, the more success that particular service or product often has. When we talk about the Wellness programs they are no different– personalization does matters. Now, the real challenge is “how to personalize”.

The industry of wellness encounters a double challenge: an efficient program should not only be customized for the company or organization that introduces the program, but also for its employees, family members as well as others- who are participating. Disaster is expected to spell if we get the either side of that equation wrong. It is very difficult to build a successful program if it doesn’t align with the culture of the organization. On the other hand, what good is a wellness program that fulfills the objectives of the organization, but doesn’t make any sense for its participants? An amazing program with very less or no participation is the wellness that is equivalent of a sea in the desert where there is no one there to drink the water from.

Each organization has different business goals, benefits approach, culture, challenges and much more, similarly, participants of each plan are unique. We all are very different, not just in terms of our health requirements, but also in our willingness to participate. A employee wellness program is successful when it’s personalized to the employee and the employer.

Personalized Wellness Program

The tricky balance starts with a simple question, asked, simultaneously, from the employee and the employer prospective: What’s in there for me?

The intention is not to sound self-centric, but understanding the program. Companies, as well as its participants, must understand the importance of the wellness program – not just in general, but also in personal terms.

With case studies to narrate the story, a well coordinated and personalization strategy is the “secret recipe” for the success of the wellness program.

Benefits Delivered by Personalized Wellness Program:

• Motivation: Motivational Triggers are more effective when they seem sensible at the individual level.
• Enhanced Knowledge: Information and Strategies linked with the program will be customized to the company as well as its participants.
• Better Engagement: Products or activities or that includes personal relevance or deliver meaning increases engagement.
• Improved Results: Companies and its participants must see the bottom line, i.e. the entire cost savings in conjunction with improved health outcomes for employees as well as their families.

Tips For Successful Wellness Program.

How would you know and understand that a wellness plan is personalized for your employees and organization?

• The initial step includes understanding the business objectives of the company and designing the wellness program to meet the end goals.

• You must understand your organization’s health and wellness numbers. Apart from cost, what all health-related issues as an employer you concerned about? Any particular illness? Sick days? General health measurements such as cholesterol or obesity? After all, just because growing obesity is a growing issue in the India doesn’t mean that it is relevant to your organization too.

• Another simple and efficient way to customize a wellness program is to create a “package deal” for all the employees. This means you are not offering just what the wellness provider offers but customizing according to the needs of your employees, such as, gym memberships, EAP, etc.

• Personalization must make sense at an individual level. The first step must include a biometric test that includes clinical results which set the stage for personalization.

• Personalized Wellness Program also includes coaching. Coaches are important to map success; as they build in-person relationships that help individuals recognize as well as overcome personalized barriers.

• After the success of the initial connection, personalization shifts on to a higher level. Here, customized health goals must be created and each employee must follow the desired action plan.

Finally, be aware of the other opportunities for personalization, right from webinars to the special invites that address the health needs of the employees. A Personalized Wellness plan can undoubtedly yield terrific results for both employees and employer.