GiftCard Partners Blog

Employee wellness programs are becoming an increasingly important part of employee benefits packages. Knowing the different types of wellness programs in the market can help your HR staff have a better understanding of what your unique workforce needs are and how to best market the program to your employees. Having the optional benefit of a wellness program may not be at the top of a candidates list when deciding on what organization they want to work for, but providing a well organized, well-marketed program can help your organization stand out as one that values the health and well-being of their employees. Here are three of the most prevalent types of wellness programs.

 At the end of last year, the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), held their annual Global Wellness Summit in Mexico City. GWI went into the summit showcasing their goal of providing an education foundation that focuses on informing both the public and private sectors about preventative health & wellness. At this year’s summit, GWI identified what they see as the top 10 future shifts in corporate wellness. Here are the shifts in corporate wellness they found most critical to corporate wellness programs:

Do you want to start a wellness program at your organization but don’t know where to start? Maybe you’ve heard about all of the potential benefits, but don’t know if your employees will adopt the program. If so, here are a few simple tips to jumpstart your wellness program.
 

March is National Nutrition Month^®, a yearly initiative from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that encourages people to make informed food choices and build healthy eating habits. This year, the theme is "Beyond the Table," focusing on the different ways and places people eat, such as at home, school, work, or events. It also addresses the impact of our food choices on the environment, including how we produce, transport, and prepare our foods.

Workplace wellness programs come in many shapes and sizes. Some focus on mitigating long-term health risks like smoking or obesity, while others address immediate health problems, or chronic conditions like heart disease or diabetes. Whatever components your program focuses on, motivating behavioral change or encouraging involvement can be difficult, especially when it comes to physical activity or exercise. This is typically where the rewards aspect comes into play. Using rewards in workplace wellness is a powerful tool, if utilized correctly. A new study done at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, finds that the fear of losing rewards (in this case money) works better to motivate employees to get more physically active than having the opportunity to win it.