Biometric screenings are an excellent tool for employers. Aggregate reports from screening events can help you assess your overall employee population health risks, plus track trends and changes over time. But after you have your data, what's next?
The first thing is to take the time up front to really understand the data and determine your approach to sustainable behavior change. Drawing on the results gathered from biometric screening, you should ask yourself some key questions such as:
- What risk factors am I trying to target?
- What does the latest research suggest?
- What are the expectations of my leadership team?
- What do employees want?
- What resources are available (a.k.a. money and time)?
The next step is determine interventions and programing that work best for your employees and culture. Below, we list eight options to consider:
Community events: Encourage and reward participation in events like the Heart Walk, Relay for Life or Race for a Cure. Form a team to encourage support and create energy around the event.
Wellness Portal: Give employees health information and a wealth of valuable resources with an online portal. Employees can use the tools to help set goals, monitor progress, find answers, stay motivated, and get moving in a healthy direction.
Sponsorship: Arrange and pay the entry fee for a softball or other sports team. Encourage employees to train for 5K run by paying their entry fee. Reduce out-of-pocket costs through reduced gym membership fees or subsidize the cost of fresh fruits and vegetable in the employee cafeteria or vending machines.
Awareness building initiatives: posters, newsletter articles, intranet postings, paycheck stuffers, brochures about specific topics like physical activity or healthy eating.
Individual behavior change programs: like health coaching or Weight Watchers.
Team challenges: Have employees track their exercises and compete in mileage and points-based wellness challenges with co-workers to lose weight, be healthier, and win awards.
Point-of-decision prompts: signs to increase stair use, on or around vending machines to promote healthy choices or in the cafeteria to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.
Policy Changes: workplace policies can reinforce the goals of your wellness program. Policies tend to enforce healthy behaviors in in the workplace. Consider policies around flex time, healthy catering, non-smoking and physical activity like stretch breaks during meetings.
Be creative - there are many different ways to influence behavior change and there's no perfect fit for everyone. The most important thing is that you take action with your biometric screening results so that you can drive the Return on Investment (ROI) for your corporate wellness program.
Image Credit: D. Sharon Pruitt
