Corporate wellness plans offer various benefits to employees and businesses, from enhanced productivity to better job performance. However, not all programs are created equal, nor do they all provide impressive results.
Are you unsatisfied with your current wellness program? Have you noticed a lack of enthusiasm from your employees? Do you need help troubleshooting and making it better?
This guide is for you if you said “yes” to any of those questions. It breaks down the signs that your program isn’t working and shares ways to get your team back on track.
Reasons Your Corporate Wellness Plan Isn’t Working
The first step to troubleshooting and getting your wellness program on track is understanding what’s going wrong. Here are some common issues that prevent corporate wellness plans from being effective:
Employees Don’t Understand How It Works
Complexity and a lack of understanding are common hurdles employees face when participating in wellness programs.
Many corporate wellness solutions offer an array of features and claim to be the best tool for your employees’ health and well-being.
The problem with these tools is that they’re often so complex that employee struggle to use them correctly and take advantage of all their features.
If employees don’t understand how a tool works, they’ll be less likely to use it consistently or use it at all.
Not only does this hold your employees back from pursuing specific health and wellness goals, but it also leads to a poor return on investment for y our company.
The Program Doesn’t Prioritize Mental Health and Well-Being
There’s nothing wrong with corporate wellness plans that focus on increasing physical activity (exercising a certain number of minutes per day, walking a specific number of steps, etc.). However, there’s more to health and wellness than daily exercise.
For example, does your plan encourage employees to manage their stress through mindfulness or time outdoors? Does it encourage regular social interaction or adequate hydration?
When employees have access to more holistic wellness solutions, it’s easier for them to choose relevant goals and help them overcome their unique struggles.
The Plan Uses Outdated Technology
Employees might also struggle to be consistent with a wellness plan that relies on outdated technology.
For example, suppose a tool doesn’t provide an app for easy check-ins on their smartphone. Users might forget to monitor their progress regularly and be consistent with their goals.
The Program Asks Too Much of Your Employees
Your employees are already busy doing their full-time jobs. If your wellness plan asks too much of them, they’ll have a hard time keeping up and achieving their goals, even if they genuinely want to improve their health and well-being.
Your Employees Don’t Get Regular Nudges
Remember that your employees are busy. They might want to be healthier, but they might also struggle to remember to engage in wellness-promoting practices throughout the day if they don’t get consistent reminders.
If your program doesn’t include any nudges or reminders, your employees might have difficulty keeping up. This issue can get in the way of their motivation, cause them to lose momentum, and prevent them from reaching their goals.
There’s No Leadership Support
As a leader or director, it’s your job to support your employees and encourage them to participate in your company’s wellness program. If you don’t take part in the experience, it’s not fair to expect your employees to do the same.
A lack of leadership support can hold employees back. It also sends a message that corporate wellness isn’t really that important. After all, if the program truly mattered, wouldn’t the boss be involved in it?
How to Find Out What’s Wrong with Your Wellness Plan
The easiest way to find out what’s holding your employees back from engaging in your company wellness program or achieving their goals is simply to ask.
Talk to your team during the next meeting and ask them to share their opinions on the program, how it could be better, etc. You can also distribute anonymous surveys to gauge people’s interest in the plan, find out what they like and dislike about it, or learn why they’re not participating.
How to Troubleshoot Your Wellness Program
Once you’ve identified the problems with your wellness program, it’s time to troubleshoot and improve it. The following tips can help you adjust your plan to make it better for your employees and your business:
Make It Easy to Implement
A user-friendly program will encourage employees to utilize corporate wellness tools and engage in health-promoting behaviors. Look for solutions that have an intuitive design and don’t require extensive training.
When you lower the barrier to entry, you increase the likelihood that your employees will set and work toward achieving their goals. You also reduce their frustration and set them up for a more positive experience overall.
Focusing on the Right Aspects of Health
Some of your employees probably do want to focus on their physical health — exercising more often, eating more nutritious food, etc. However, other employees might be more interested in their mental, emotional, or social well-being.
Make sure your wellness program includes these other elements of holistic wellness instead of being too physically focused.
If you give your employees more choices and encourage them to focus on other aspects of health, you’ll have a more well-rounded workforce and may have an easier time encouraging people to participate.
Make It Customizable
In addition to letting employees focus on various aspects of health, make sure they can customize their goals and work toward objectives that matter to them.
The more personalized employees’ options are and the more freedom they have when setting goals, the likelihood that they’ll opt-in and be consistent with the program increases.
Think about it. If you’re not interested in exercising more but can only choose from exercise-related goals, your motivation to take part in a wellness program won’t be very high.
However, if you can choose from goals that do interest you, such as meditating or enjoying more time with loved ones, you’ll likely feel more motivated and be more engaged in the program.
Encourage Small, Simple Changes
Sometimes, for your employees to do more, you need to encourage them to do less.
In other words, nudge your team members to make small, simple changes toward their health and wellness goals. Instead of pushing them to dive in headfirst, emphasize the benefits of just dipping a toe into the water and easing into a lifestyle change.
For example, if an employee wants to drink more water, don’t push them to suddenly start drinking ten glasses per day. Encourage them to start with just one additional glass.
Emphasize Motivation Less
If a plan relies too much on motivation and doesn’t promote consistency, it’s unlikely to be effective long-term. To troubleshoot your wellness program, emphasize motivation less and meet team members where they are.
Customizable plans focus on each user’s ability and let them set realistic, relevant goals. Your plan should also include regular prompts to gently nudge users in the right direction and encourage them to make healthy choices.
Lead by Example
Finally, ensure you lead by example and participate in the company’s wellness program. After all, motivating team members and inspiring them to make healthy lifestyle changes is easier if you also make positive changes.
Make the corporate wellness plan a genuine team effort, and you’ll be much more likely to see impressive results.
Is It Time to Upgrade Your Wellness Plan?
Do you need a new corporate wellness tool that helps you check the boxes listed above and troubleshoot your current program?
If so, consider these factors when you start your search. They’ll help you choose the best solution for you and your team:
- Personalization: Your tool should be customizable and allow users to set specific, relevant goals they actually want to achieve.
- Ease of use: The more complex a wellness solution is, the less likely people will use it consistently.
- Customer reviews: Always read reviews to see what past users and current customers have to say about a particular tool.
- Cost: Many corporate wellness platforms are expensive and don’t provide a great ROI. Look for options that work with your budget.
- Research: Search for research-backed solutions proven to work in professional settings.
- Versatility: Ideally, the tool will work on various devices (e.g., iPhones and Android phones).
BetterYou is one of the best wellness options that aligns with all these criteria. This easy-to-use app is designed to help employees, students, and other users set and achieve goals that matter to them and enjoy more time for themselves throughout the day.
Level Up Your Wellness Program Today
From being too complex to relying too heavily on motivation, there are many reasons why your corporate wellness plan might not be working.
Follow the steps discussed above to troubleshoot your program and set your employees up for success.
BetterYou can also help you level up your wellness program and see better results. This app lets you set goals you care about and provides regular, personalized nudges to keep you on track.
Book a demo today to give BetterYou a try!
