Identifying and Overcoming Hurdles in Your Wellness Program

Sometimes problems in your corporate wellness program will just jump out at you. Other times, things might seem off, and you’re not quite sure where the problem lies.

Well the first step to solving any type of problem is identifying exactly what that problem entails. If you’re feeling like your wellness program is just not running as smoothly as it should, or if you’re not seeing the results you expected, it might be time to do some digging.

Evaluate

A great way to find out what problems you face in your wellness program is to dig into the results you’re getting. Compare your current statistics with past trends to identify any drops in achievement. Take a look at these metrics specifically:

• Employee engagement
• Disease management
• Goal achievement or progress towards goal
• Participation

If your results seem down in any given area, that’s likely where a problem lies. Take that into account when determining which wellness activities to change or update.

Observe

Sometimes the simplest way to identify problems in your wellness program is just to watch how people interact with your wellness activities. Go to the events you sponsor and note what’s happening.

Are people excited to be there? Did they bring friends or family members? Is anyone doing more than the minimum requirements? Are more people at certain events than others? Do people seem to be having a good time?

These are the types of questions to ask yourself as you observe the wellness activities sponsored by your program. Keep an eye on your events to find the answers.

Ask

To get the information you need straight from the horse’s mouth, ask your employees what they think of your corporate wellness program. There are a variety of ways you can go about this. Take a look at your company culture to decide what’s best.

Surveys allow for a guided, easy-to-distribute feedback loop. Interviews allow for deeper, more detailed discussion. Anonymous feedback submissions allow for privacy and the sharing of honest feelings. Optional program reviews allow people to share what they really want to say, rather than feeling forced into a conversation.

All of these can be excellent methods of asking your employees what they think. Remember to use powerful questions so you can get the most of these conversations.

Overcome the Hurdles

Overcoming hurdles depends largely on the specific issues you discover in your wellness program. No matter what you’re facing remember these three tips.

1. Stay Calm: No problem is too big to face. Remember to stay calm so you can be strategic when it comes to fixing whatever issues are in front of you.
2. Communicate: Transparency and open communication not only foster trust and respect, but they allow for conversations that can bring about innovative solutions.
3. Be Comprehensive: Sometimes problems run deeper than they appear to on the surface. It might seem like more work, but get to the root of the issue and start your fixing there.

Very few (if any) wellness programs are perfect. There are always improvements that can be made. Sometimes the issues will be obvious, but sometimes it might take some digging to figure out why your corporate wellness program seems to be a bit off.

How do you address problems in your wellness program?