Much has been written on how wellness programs benefit organizations: A healthier workforce is more productive, takes fewer sick days, and lowers health insurance premiums. In an ideal world, everyone in your organization would want to participate in wellness programs for their own good health and well-being. But the reality of human behavior is that most of us need some kind of extra incentive to do what’s good for us.
That’s why linking an incentive program to your wellness programs creates a powerful and effective partnership. The right incentives can generate interest in a wellness program, encourage people to participate, and then drive their success by rewarding each goal they meet.
More Effective Incentives
But what makes an effective incentive? A key factor is something incentive industry professionals call “trophy value”—a perceived value of the reward that reminds recipients of their success. An award certificate hanging on the wall is nice. But a flat-panel TV hanging on the wall is something a recipient will enjoy using year after year; a constant token of his or her achievement and a positive reminder of the success of your wellness program.
Another factor is the ability to give recipients a reward that really means something to them. This is one reason why gift cards have grown so incredibly popular in recent years. At Best Buy, we say that our gift cards are “a more rewarding incentive.” When someone gives you a Best Buy Gift Card, they’re essentially opening the door of a Best Buy store and saying “go get something you really want.” It’s hard to be disappointed by an incentive you select for yourself.
Wellness programs themselves suggest the kind of incentives you might offer. A Best Buy Gift Card, for example, can lead to wellness-related rewards such as fitness equipment, yoga and Pilates accessories, pedometers and activity monitors, even MP3 music players or active-participation game consoles.
Incentive Opportunities
When you consider the various aspects of a comprehensive wellness program, you’ll find many opportunities to put incentives to work. Weight loss and smoking cessation programs are highly goaloriented and ideal situations for using incentives. Participants might receive a reward every time they reach a goal, such as losing 10 pounds in a month. The value of the incentives can increase as participants meet progressively higher goals.
Similar incentives work well to encourage enrollment in health clubs and insurance programs: Sign up for your insurance benefits, and you’ll be registered in a drawing to receive a gift card. Hospital HR departments use incentives such as gift cards to reward the successful completion of training and safety programs, and to recognize birthdays and service milestones.
Practical Matters
Whatever incentive program you choose, logistical requirements should not overwhelm your ability to manage the program. A cruise can make a fantastic incentive, but you have to ensure that an experienced travel professional, not you, will handle all of the arrangements.
We designed Best Buy Gift Card incentives to be easy to give and easy to use. That means you can order gift cards online, in any quantity and denomination from $5 on up. Best Buy fulfills orders quickly with different shipping options. We can even send gift cards to individual addresses. “Easy to use” means that Best Buy Gift Cards have no expiration date, no dormancy fees, and the cards retain their full balance until used.
Wellness programs are a great employee benefit—once you get workers to participate. The right incentive program can boost wellness participation and retention, resulting in a healthier organization.