The WellRight Blog

Motivation. We all want more of it, but few of us can seem to find enough of it. And when we do find that burst of enthusiasm, how often do we use it to improve our health and well-being?

Odds are, you’re not the only one having trouble putting yourself first and taking steps to improve your health; your employees are, too. But imagine what could happen if you could change that—if you could boost motivation among your entire staff, energizing them to take action toward improving their well-being?

Every company deserves to reap the benefits of having a wellness program that produces happier, healthier, more engaged employees. But many of these companies may be shying away from implementing a wellness program, thinking that costly wellness incentives are the only way for a program to be successful. After all, employees aren’t going to participate unless they’re getting impressive rewards in return, right?

Think again.

As it turns out, it’s possible to have a wellness program with exciting, sought-after incentives that don’t break the bank.

Heart disease. Prescription drug and alcohol abuse. Smoking. Not only are these on the CDC’s top 10 list of public health concerns, they’re also top-of-mind issues for employers, too.

After all, employers shoulder much of the financial and business costs for the employees and family members affected by these health issues. And yet, employers are also in a position of great influence over these problems.

What better opportunity to foster a healthier population than by focusing on where adults spend most of their waking hours: the workplace?

When Heather Reimer turned 40, she did everything right.

Just as her health provider had recommended, Heather dutifully went to get her first mammogram. After receiving a notification that everything was clear (meaning, cancer-free), she didn’t give her mammogram another thought.

Later that year, she opted to get a whole-breast ultrasound to earn points for her employer’s wellness program.

Eating better, working out, getting more sleep … taking care of our physical self is relatively straightforward (even if it’s often easier said than done).

Achieving good emotional health may be a bit more complicated—but it’s just as important as achieving good physical health. And yet, emotional wellness often lands squarely on the back burner, particularly in the workplace. Why do so few people make their emotional health a priority?

According to Michael O’Donnell, the CEO of the Art & Science of Health Promotion Institute, healthcare costs are spiraling out of control. So badly, in fact, that within the next 50 to 60 years, the United States Congressional Budget Office anticipates that spending on major healthcare programs will rise from 5.5 percent of GDP to almost 19 percent, leading to unprecedented levels of federal debt. And even with all this spending, we’re not getting any healthier.

 But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Enlisting the services of a wellness coach can be a fantastic way to take your company’s wellness program to the next level.

But...not all coaching services are created equal. Maybe there are gaps in their offering, or their expertise, that are holding your wellness program back from its goals.

To help you find out if your coaching service is truly moving your results forward (and to learn what features may make all the difference), take our quick quiz. (To see your results, click the "View Accuracy" button that appears at the end of the quiz. Your answers, along with our feedback, will open in a new window.)

A job with no commute? It’s a reality for an increasing number of people: 70 percent of professionals work remotely at least one day a week, while 53 percent work remotely at least half of the week.

Working remotely offers a lot of perks to employees and their employers. However, remote workers pose a unique challenge for wellness program administrators. How do you engage employees who aren’t physically present?

Just like company procedures and processes have had to adapt to the new reality of remote work, so does your wellness program.

For a wellness director, it can be frustrating to spend time and resources designing a wellness program, only to be met with a marked lack of enthusiasm. However, improving the wellness and productivity of employees is an important undertaking—one that companies almost universally embrace.

According to Willis Towers Watson’s Staying@Work report, “Nearly 90% of respondents say that improving workforce health and productivity is a core component of their organization’s overall health strategy, and nearly all (98%) said they’re committed to health and productivity improvement in the years ahead.”

So, why are some employees reluctant to participate in corporate wellness programs? And what can employers do to encourage all employees to engage?

At some point in their lives, approximately 75% of working women in the United States will become pregnant. But what should be a very exciting time in their lives can sometimes become a challenging one, with physical and emotional changes making daily work tasks difficult. Adding to the challenge is concern over discrimination, which can prevent pregnant employees from asking for accommodations to make things easier.

But by ensuring you have a robust employee wellness program, you can help your employees be more comfortable and productive throughout their pregnancy and beyond.