Incentivize Wellness

More companies are implementing wellness programs to positively impact employee health and cut healthcare costs. Some of the organizations offer employees incentives to participate in health-promoting activities. If you currently work in corporate wellness, here are some ideas from the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (2012; 54 [7], 889–96) to pass along to your wellness liaison:

• reimbursement for all or part of the cost of memberships in a fitness center
• rewards for participating in a diagnostic testing program
• waivers for otherwise applicable deductables or copayments, to encourage preventive care
• reimbursement for the costs of smoking cessation programs
• recognition in companywide communications or in a wellness “wall of fame”
• competitions among individuals or company departments or business units
• permission to use company time for participation in wellness activities
• token giveaways recognizing wellness achievements

This list is taken from the “Guidance for a Reasonably Designed, Employer-Sponsored Wellness Program Using Outcome-Based Incentives” report—a Consensus Statement of the Health Enhancement Research Organization, American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, American Cancer Society and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association. To read the report in its entirety, visit www.acoem.org/uploadedFiles/Public_Affairs/Policies_And_Position_Statements/JOEM%20Joint%20Consensus%20Statement.pdf.