IS THE WORKPLACE THE RIGHT VENUE?
The workplace is the single largest daily gathering of Americans, the place where people spend most of their time. Nearly 40% of the population, 123 million people, are full-time employees. If wellness was going to be addressed, the workplace is an excellent starting point as it provides a large captive audience for wellness. Why then, do so many well-intentioned corporate wellness programs fail to make people healthier?
From Ripple’s perspective, wellness programs fail because there is a misalignment among the implemented programs values from a company standpoint, and the wellness values of the individual employee.
Is the organization committed to the employee’s individual values the same way the employee is committed to the organization’s mission statement and vision? How can organizations structure wellness programs that reduce healthcare costs and make employees healthier?
Companies need to understand what their employees want and need from a health perspective so they can invest in these core areas that will create the most change. The same rigor that companies use to develop their business strategies needs to be applied when designing a wellness program. There is a risk in execution of the wellness programs, but there is a far greater risk of being strictly reactive to each health issue.