Carnivals have something for everyone.
Incentive programs are now a common engagement tool to motivate employees to participate in wellness programs and utilize health and well-being resources. Instead of rewarding employees for using these benefits, what if they were so valued that people bought tickets and stood in line to participate?
Picture your wellness program as a carnival. Imagine the rides represent different wellness programs. The traditional approach to incentives is much like giving employees tickets for rides they didn’t choose. A person gets on the ride, goes round and round, only to exit to the left and pick up their prize and move on. Everyone is getting on the same ride or participating in the same program, whether is a good fit or not!
At a real carnival, people buy tickets and choose what rides they want to go on. Some may favor the merry-go round, while another may prefer a roller coaster. They have fun, love the ride, talk about it, get friends to ride it with them and may get back in line to “go-again”.
Design Your Program Beyond Wellness
A well designed-program has flexibility, is meaningful and fully integrated with other internal programs such as health benefits, 401k, employee discounts, EAP (Employee Assistance Programs), health carrier nurse triage lines, Tele-doc services, personal training and development and more. It’s important that employees see the big picture of health and wellness initiatives as part of their career and quality of work/life balance vs. various free-standing wellness programs. We call this integrated model the PERSON Approach.
PERSON Approach
The PERSON Approach is a model with a simple human-centered focus where policy, programs and culture reflect interdependence between people and the organization so both can thrive.
PERSON stands for:
Perspective for a consciousness of good health. The perspective is a way of thinking that is believed and accepted by leadership and the workforce. People want good health, but believing they can achieve the life they desire is a healthy perspective.
Establishing culture. A mutually accepted understanding that the organization cares about its employees and their health and where employees expect an environment that supports the easiest options that enhance quality of life.
Resources to effectively assist individuals to make lifestyle changes. An interdependency of programs or vendor partners that employees perceive as a benefit (Benefit design, EAP, lifestyle behavior management, retirement and financial wellness support).
Support demonstrated by organizational leadership. Authenticity demonstrated by mid-management support of leadership’s directives, financial support through a budget and branding that reflect the core values of the company.
Ongoing communication to shape belief. Strong implementation and continued campaigns that set a positive perception that the programs are for employees to enhance and improve their lives. Delivering messages that are relevant, meaningful and include emotional appeal, motivate and lead to action.
Navigating people to the care they need and saying no to the care they don’t need. Using the health care system wisely and practicing daily self-care.
Put the PERSON Model into Practice. Contact us for a free evaluation and learn more about the tools and services from Inspired Perspectives.
