5 Steps to Improve Your Wellness Incentive Reward Program
Simplicity is Key to Choosing The Right Wellness Incentive Rewards
Austin, TX: When talking with my clients, one of the biggest obstacles I hear is that a wellness reward and incentive program is often too complex to get off the ground.
Many wellness coordinators are held back — meeting after meeting — trying to come up with the perfect incentive reward or gift for their employees.
In fact, it has gotten to the point where too many are spending more time finding the right rewards compared to putting the wellness program together.
It shouldn’t be that way.
Keep your wellness incentive simple.
Here are five simple steps to help improve your wellness incentive program:
1.) Don’t Involve Too Many People in the Decision-Making Process.
If you ask 10 people what they want to include for rewards, you will get 15 responses- everything from gym memberships, pedometers, restaurant certificates, T-shirts and everything in between.
All good ideas, but you need to start somewhere.
Limit it to 3 people max so you can kick the ideas around and make a decision.
2.) There is No Perfect Gift
Stop looking for the one gift that will excite all your employees.
It just doesn’t exist– or I’d stock up our warehouses with just that one item.
Go with your gut decision and offer wellness incentive awards and prizes that you think will be appreciated by your employees.
3. ) Test, Get Feedback and Re-Test
Get feedback from your employees after the program has launched so that you can edit, tweak and make changes.
Do this a few months into the program or you will never get the program off the ground.
Momentum is crucial to getting results and you can always add incentive reward prizes to the mix.
4.) Offer a Variety of Incentive Prizes
Rule #2 states that there is no one perfect gift.
Rule #4 builds on that premise by realizing that your employees will seek to reach different levels of achievement in the wellness program.
You need to reward and motivate those employees that need more of an initial push to get started — but not forget about those that are already fit, but want to improve even further.
Point programs are ideal for this structure – as they allow people to earn better rewards for achieving better results.
5.) Half the Reward is in the Presentation
Your employees want to feel recognized.
Pats on the back work great.
Mentions in the company newsletter are also a nice touch.
When awarding the incentive gifts or prizes, be sure to hand them out at team meetings so the employees can be recognized in front of their peers.
You’d be surprised at just how valuable recognition is to the feeling of accomplishment and achievement.
Recognition, coupled with incentive rewards are the foundation to a strong wellness program.
Here’s to a healthier workforce.