Top 12 Corporate Wellness Incentive Ideas By Budget
Wellness programs are initiatives by corporations to ensure and improve the health and well-being of their employees. Properly implemented wellness programs translate into reduced healthcare costs for the employer. But today, a mere awareness drive regarding smoking cessation or weight loss isn’t enough to drive the behavioral change needed, employees need more, and that’s where incentives step in.
Incentives play a significant role in garnering participation in wellness programs as they aid in achieving the behavioral change required to kick off the wellness initiatives.
Since the last decade, there has been a great inclination towards providing incentives for employee wellness programs. Here are the ideas for employee incentives that won’t break the bank!
Types of Wellness Incentives
Participation Based
These are rewards given to all employees who participate in wellness programs. They encourage involvement from the entire workforce. It can include things like recognition, small gifts, or points that can be redeemed for rewards.
Progress Based
These are awarded to people who achieve a particular milestone, ensuring active involvement by the participants, for ex., a target weight count achieved, the number of steps accomplished, etc.
Success Based
These are incentives awarded to people who achieve the milestones targeted by the wellness programs. Though they are the least inclusive of all, awarded to only a few people, outcome-based incentives serve as a great instigator for people to reach the finish line. When your employees sign up to participate, attain certain milestones or feature them in your company's bulletin boards, newsletters, or on social media platforms.
Enumerated below are some of the incentives that might help you to initiate a successful wellness program
- Sports and Activewear
- Gym Memberships
- Kitchen Utensils
- Stand-Up Desks
- Flexible Work Hours
- A Comp Off
- Coupons and Gift Cards
- Health Devices
- Events for Employees
- Care Pass
- Sponsored Dayout/Trips
- Incentives for Family Members
1. Sports and Activewear
Fitness clothing might serve as a good incentive in getting people to start their fitness-related activities. For ex., gym membership, on-site gyms, fitness-related activities like a marathon, etc.
2. Gym Memberships
Offering gym memberships can encourage employees to incorporate regular exercise into their routines. It can include providing access to an on-site gym or partnering with local gyms to offer discounted memberships. Gym memberships can help employees stay active and improve their overall health.
3. Kitchen Utensils
Providing employees with kitchen utensils or appliances can promote healthy eating habits. For example, offering smoothie makers or meal prep containers can encourage employees to prepare meals at home. It can lead to improved nutrition and overall well-being among employees.
4. Stand-Up Desks
Stand-up desks provide employees with the option to stand while working, promoting better posture and reducing the negative effects of prolonged sitting. It can improve employee health and well-being, as well as increase productivity and reduce absenteeism.
5. Flexible Work Hours
Propose flexible work hours for your employees to encourage workout sessions. In the beginning, it might seem scary to let employees decide their schedules, but it provides them the freedom to work during their peak hours.
6. A Comp Off
Compensatory time off, or comp time, is a valuable incentive for employees. Giving employees a day off with pay as a reward for participating in wellness programs or achieving health goals can motivate them to prioritize their health and well-being. Comp time can help employees recharge and reduce burnout.
7. Coupons and Gift Cards
Offer incentives like coupons, gift cards, course admission fees, museum entry fees, concert tickets, books, magazine subscriptions, movie tickets, car wash coupons, etc.
8. Health Devices
Providing health monitoring devices like pedometers, blood pressure monitors, or glucose meters can encourage employees to track and improve their health metrics. It can include: Subsidizing the cost of health monitoring devices for employees with chronic conditions. Providing incentives for employees to share their health data with wellness programs
9. Events for Employees
Organize regular events focused on employee wellness, such as workshops on stress management, nutrition, or mindfulness. Offer fitness classes like yoga, Zumba, or group workouts. Provide health screenings for conditions like blood pressure, cholesterol, or diabetes.
10. Care Pass
Implement a care pass program that provides employees with access to discounted or free healthcare services. This could include telemedicine consultations for non-emergency medical issues, mental health support for stress or anxiety, or wellness coaching for lifestyle changes.
11. Sponsored Day Out/Trips
Plan a day out or a trip for employees as a reward for their commitment to wellness. This could be a team-building activity like a ropes course or a hike, a nature outing like a beach day or a picnic, or a wellness retreat focused on relaxation and rejuvenation.
12. Incentives for Family Members
Extend wellness incentives to include family members of employees. Offer discounts on family gym memberships or family wellness programs that promote healthy activities for all ages. Organize wellness activities that employees can enjoy with their families, such as family fitness classes or outdoor adventures.
Employees are the greatest asset to any company. Invest wisely in them to reap the maximum benefits. Incentives are excellent motivation boosters for employees! Building an incentive wellness program, however, can be overwhelming. As with all aspects of the wellness program, you must keep the requirements of your employees in mind.
How We Can Incentivize Employees to Develop Healthy Habits?
Truworth Wellness uses an engagement metric known as PEPs (Productivity Enhancement Points). Employees can earn PEPs when they perform tasks such as exercising, walking certain steps, eating right, and educating themselves about healthy habits. After reaching a certain threshold, users can exchange their PEPs for rewards such as discount coupons, gift vouchers, and other exciting freebies.
However, simply giving users PEPs and rewards does not guarantee high employee engagement. Our gamification and wellness strategy is based on an understanding of intrinsic motivation. Engaging in behavior because of its inherent value in terms of interest or joy leads to intrinsic motivation. Therefore, to extrinsic motivation such as Health Rewards and Recognition, we focus primarily on educating the users about the long-term benefits of developing a healthy lifestyle. If the users can understand the value of healthy behaviors, they are more likely to help their peers develop the same.
Here at Truworth Wellness, we believe that by incentivizing your workplace wellness program you can build engagement of your employees.
Related Article: Ways to Increase Engagement in the Wellness Program.