Report: What Employees Want In Corporate Wellness Programs

Copyright © 2012 ShapeUp, Inc. The content in this document is property of ShapeUp.

2012 Employee Survey on Corporate Wellness ProgramsWhat Do Employees Want In Their

Corporate Wellness Program?

Webinar

2Copyright © 2012 ShapeUp, Inc. The content is this document is property of ShapeUp.

Today’s Webinar Team

Rajiv Kumar, M.D.Founder & [email protected]

Shawn LaVanaVice President of [email protected]

Elise MeyerMarketing [email protected]


Join the Conversation on Twitter

@shapeupdotcom

#empwellness


ShapeUp’s Mission Statement

Creating a healthier world by leveraging social influence to

engage people in healthy activities


1. Survey Background

2. Why Do Employees Participate in Wellness Programs?

3. What Wellness Programs Do Employees Want?

4. Are Employees Satisfied With Their Corporate Wellness Program?

5. How Can Employers Help Their Employees Succeed?

6. Recommendations for Employers

Today’s Agenda


Survey Background


Goals of the Survey

• Better understand how employees view their company’s wellness program

• Learn what drives employees to participate in various wellness offerings

• Find out what barriers prevent employees from engaging in wellness

• Discover how to improve the wellness program experience for employees

Overview of Our 2012 Employee Survey on Corporate Wellness Programs


Computer Access at Work Age Gender Smoker0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Yes

No

18-22

23-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60

Male

Female

Yes

No

Survey participants represented a diverse cross-section of the population


Survey participants reported widely varying health and fitness profiles

No room for improvement


Why Do Employees Participate in Wellness Programs?

11Copyright © 2012 ShapeUp, Inc. The content is this document is property of ShapeUp. 1111Copyright © 2012 ShapeUp, Inc. The content is this document is property of ShapeUp.

0

20

40

60

80%

Improvegeneralfitness

55%

Eatmore

healthily

43%

Loseweight

39%

Reducestress

31%

Sleepbetter

21%

Stopsmoking

3%

0

20

40

60

80%

Loseweight

67%

Improvegeneralfitness

55%

Eatmore

healthily

42%

Reducestress

17%

Sleepbetter

11%

Stopsmoking

6%

Fit / Healthy Respondents Unfit / Unhealthy Respondents

Q: What are your top two personal wellness goals?

Wellness goals are remarkably similar for both fit and unfit employees; fitness, weight loss, and healthy eating are the top three reported goals

12Copyright © 2012 ShapeUp, Inc. The content is this document is property of ShapeUp. 12

0

20

40

60

80

100%

Nutritionprogram

n=386

Exercisecompetition

n=502

Fitnessdevices

n=517

Exerciseprogram

n=386

Weightloss

program

n=283

HRA

n=518

Personalhealth

dashboard

n=221

Onsitefitness

n=305

Healthcontent

n=345

Emotionalsuport

n=146

Biometricscreening

n=360

Lifestylecoaching

n=193

On sitephysician

visits

n=391

Smokingcessation

n=98

Conditionmanagement

n=89

Signed up withcoworkers

Free

Incentives

Improve health

Convenience

Good program

Mandatory

Q: What is the top reason that you enrolled in your company’s wellness program?

Improving health is the major reason for enrollment; free programs drive participation; co-workers are a draw for exercise & weight programs

Nutrit

ion p

rogr

am

Exerc

ise c

ompe

tition

Fitnes

s de

vices

Exerc

ise p

rogr

am

Weig

ht lo

ss p

rogr

am

HRA

Perso

nal h

ealth

das

hboa

rdO

n sit

e fit

ness

Health

cont

ent

Emot

ional

supp

ort

Biomet

ric s

cree

ning

Lifes

tyle

coac

hing

On

site

phys

ician

visi

ts

Smok

ing c

essa

tion

Condit

ion m

anag

emen

t


0

20

40

60

80

100%

Ince

ntiv

eS

ame

Som

ewha

tmor

elik

ely

Mor

elik

ely

n=988

No

n-m

on

etar

ya

wa

rds

n=957

Pa

rtic

ipa

tew

ithfa

mily

n=937

Fun

act

iviti

esw

ithco

wo

rke

rs

n=942

Be

stfr

ien

dw

asp

artic

ipat

ing

n=831

Str

on

gm

an

age

men

tsu

pp

ort

n=945

Inte

nsi

vepr

og

ram

oft

oug

hw

ork

out

s

n=937

Co

mpa

ny-

wid

eco

mp

etiti

on

n=901

Par

ticip

ate

with

frie

nds

ou

tsid

ew

ork

n=933

Employees say monetary incentives would make them more likely to participate, but non-monetary rewards and social events are also motivating

Q: To what extent

would you be more or

less likely to

participate in a

corporate health-

related program in the

following cases?

Incentive

Non-monetary awards

Participate with fa

mily

Fun activities with coworkers

Best friend was partic

ipating

Strong m

anagement support

Intensive program of tough

workouts

Company-wide competition

Participate with fri

ends

outside work


• Across all health and fitness levels, most employees share three common goals: improving physical fitness, eating healthier, and losing weight.

• Health improvement is cited as the most common reason for participating in corporate wellness programs, but employees also say that engaging with co-workers is a major draw for exercise and weight loss programs.

• Employees appear to strongly value free wellness programs, citing that as a major reason for participation.

• While monetary incentives are a strong driver of participation, employees also say that they are more likely to engage in a corporate wellness program when they have opportunities to participate with friends and family.

Key Takeaways – Why Do Employees Participate In Wellness Programs?


What Wellness Programs Do Employees Want?


0

20

40

60

80

100%

HR

A

No

Yes

Fitn

ess

dev

ices

Wei

ght

loss

pro

gra

m

On

site

pre

venta

tive

phys

icia

nvi

sits

Exe

rcis

epro

gra

m

Bio

met

ricsc

reenin

g

Health

conte

nt

On

site

fitnes

sfa

cilit

y

Nutriti

on

pro

gra

m

Wei

ght

loss

orex

erc

ise

com

pet

ition

Pers

onalh

ealth

das

hboa

rd

Life

styl

eco

ach

ing

Em

otio

nal

&m

enta

lw

elln

ess

suppor

t

Sm

okin

gce

ssat

ion

Condi

tion

man

age

ment

Oth

er

38% 22% 22% 16% 24% 25% 14% 1%26% 27% 34% 30% 26% 29% 25% 28%TolunaParticipation

Q: Which of the following health-related products or services have you used in the past year through your company?

Health assessments, fitness devices, and weight loss programs are the most widely used offerings; employees also use preventive care offerings

HRA

Fitnes

s dev

ices

Exerc

ise p

rogr

am

Health

cont

ent

On sit

e fitn

ess f

acilit

y

Weig

ht lo

ss p

rogr

am

On sit

e pr

even

tativ

e ph

ysici

an

Biomet

ric sc

reen

ing

Nutrit

ion p

rogr

am

Weig

ht lo

ss o

r exe

rcise

com

petiti

on

Perso

nal h

ealth

das

hboa

rd

Lifes

tyle

coac

hing

Emot

ional

& men

tal s

uppo

rt

Smok

ing ce

ssat

ion

Condit

ion m

anag

emen

t

Other


0

20

40

60

80

100%

On-

site

fitne

ssfa

cilit

y

7

6

5

43

1

Bio

metric

scre

enin

g

Exe

rcis

eP

rogra

m

Fitn

ess

dev

ices

On-

site

phy

sici

ansc

reeni

ngs

Nutriti

onpro

gra

m

Weig

htlo

sspr

ogra

m

Exe

rcis

eco

mpe

titio

n

HR

A

Per

sonal

dash

board

Health

cont

ent

Em

otio

nal

wel

lness

suppo

rt

Cond

ition

Manag

em

ent

Life

styl

eco

ach

ing

Sm

okin

gC

essa

tion

37% 38% 32% 30% 23% 18% 7%70% 66% 60% 57% 55% 53% 45% 43%% sporadic userschose 6 or 7

49% 46% 42% 37% 28% 28% 8%68% 60% 62% 61% 55% 54% 53% 55%% regular userschose 6 or 7

58% 59% 50% 36% 35% 33% 10%65% 69% 69% 65% 56% 67% 58% 68%% power userschose 6 or 7

Q: What would be your level of interest in using the following products / services as part of a corporate health-

related program? (On a scale of 1 to 7 where 1 = not interested at all and 7 = very interested)

Employees are most interested in opportunities for physical activity and preventive screenings; nutrition & weight programs are also highly desired

2

On-site fitness fa

cility

Biometric screening

Exercise program

Fitness devices

On-site physician screenings

Nutrition program

Weight loss program

Exercise competition

HRA

Personal dashboard

Health content

Emotional wellness support

Condition m

anagement

Lifestyle coaching

Smoking cessation

17


0

20

40

60%

At-homefitness

equipment

51%

Gymmember-

ship

37%

Workoutvideos

31%

Fitnessclasses

25%

Devices

20%

Partic-ipatedin an

organizedwalk or

run

20%

Comm-ercialweightloss

program

13%

Web-based

program

10%

PersonalTrainer

8%

Other

8%

None ofthe

above

12%

0

20

40

60

80

100%

Bike

Walk

Sports League

Run

Other

Swim

Wii

n=83

Q: What other health-related activities / products do

you do / use outside of work?

Outside of their company wellness program, employees mostly pursued a variety of physical activity-related opportunities

Q: What other health-related activities / products do

you do / use outside of work? (open-ended)W

orko

ut v

ideo

sFi

tnes

s cla

sses

Device

s

Partic

ipat

ed in

an

orga

nize

d

walk

or ru

n

Comm

ercia

l wei

ght l

oss

prog

ram

Web

-bas

ed p

rogr

am

Perso

nal t

rain

erO

ther

None

of th

e ab

ove

Swim

At-hom

e fit

ness

equ

ipm

ent

Gym

mem

bers

hip


• Existing wellness program participation is highest for health assessments, programs that include fitness devices, and weight loss programs.

• Consistent with their top health and wellness goals, employees cited fitness, nutrition, and weight loss programs as programs they strongly desired.

• Employees also consistently identified preventive care – through physician visits or biometric screening – as very important to them.

• Outside of the office, employees mostly pursue various physical activity-related endeavors, with walking and sports leagues both cited most frequently.

Key Takeaways – What Wellness Programs Do Employees Want?


Are Employees Satisfied With Their Company’s Wellness

Program?


0

20

40

60

80

100%

All

No

Yes

n=949

0

20

40

60

80

100%

All

Very Likely

Likely

Undecided

n=949

Q: How likely are you to continue using your

employer’s wellness program in the future?

Most employees who participate in corporate wellness programs plan to continue to do so; 2/3 say the programs have helped them reach their goals

Q: Has your wellness program helped you to meet

any personal health / wellness goals?

Not Likely


Yes, my wellness program helped me meet my personal goals:

• “It gives me an incentive to keep working on my health even when I don’t feel like it.”

• “I am able to monitor my health conditions, and it is very convenient to participate at work.”

• “I am in better shape and have lost weight due to the fitness competition among colleagues. I work out any way, but have pushed myself with the competition.”

No, my wellness program did not help me meet my personal goals:

• “I’m not sure what our corporate wellness program even entails.”

• “Work is so busy. I don’t have time to exercise daily.”

• “It would be really nice to have an on-site gym.”

Employees get specific about why their corporate wellness programs have or have not helped them to reach their personal health goals


0

100

200

300

400

On-

site

fitne

ss

facility

331

Exe

rcise

pro

gram

262

Nutrition

pro

gra

m

215

Weightloss

progra

m

180

Fitn

ess

dev

ices

163

On

site

phy

sician

visits

157

Exe

rcise

com

petitio

n

149

Biom

etric

scre

ening

137

Per

sonal

health

dash

board

126

Life

style

coach

ing

100

HRA

74

Em

otio

nala

nd

men

talw

ellness

suppo

rt

71

Hea

lthco

nten

t

71

Cond

ition

manag

em

ent

70

Sm

oking

cess

atio

n

46

25% 15% 7%16% 12%14%33% 18%22% 6% 2%5%14% 9% 6%% of ShapeUprespondents

29% 18% 8%16% 14%18%33% 18%19% 11% 10%11%13% 12% 10%% of Tolunarespondents

Q: Which aspects of your company’s health-related program do you think have the most room for

improvement? (Please select up to three areas for improvement)

Employees say the programs they want the most—exercise, nutrition, and weight loss offerings—are the ones that need the most improvement

On-site fitness fa

cility

Biometric screening

Exercise program

Fitness devices

On-site physician visits

Nutrition program

Weight loss program

Exercise competition

HRA

Personal health coaching

Health content

Emotional and mental

wellness support

Condition m

anagement

Lifestyle coaching

Smoking cessation


# of

Men

tions


• Over 90% of employees who have utilized any aspect of their company’s wellness program say they are likely or very likely to do so, indicating a high level of program satisfaction.

• Two-thirds of participants say that their company’s wellness program has helped them to reach one or more of their personal fitness goals, a surprisingly high success rate.

• For employees who say their program has helped them achieve success, factors included the motivation provided by the program, the ease and convenience of participating at work, and social engagement with colleagues.

• For employees who did not meet personal goals, some cited a lack of knowledge of available programs, a shortage of time to engage while at work, and the lack of an onsite fitness facility.

• Employees say onsite fitness facilities and programs for exercise, nutrition, and weight loss all need improvement.

Key Takeaways – Are Employees Satisfied With Their Wellness Program?


How Can Employers Help Their Employees Succeed?


0

20

40

60

80

100%

Respondents

I feel there is a lack ofinternal support for the

program

The program isdisorganized/overlycomplex

The program isinconvenient

The program is not fun orexciting

Other

The program does not meet any ofmy wellness needs/goals

I don't know enough aboutthe program offered

I am concerned aboutconfidentiality

n=1,743

I don't have enoughenergy / motivation

/ self-discipline

I have met my initial goal (s)and I'm not longer motivated

0

20

40

60

80

100%

Mentions

CostWebsite difficulties

Not enough incentivesPart Time/ineligible

Inconvenient

No time/busy

Not helpful

Unsure of offering/don'tlike selection

No one was motivated

ConfusingPrivacyissues

Other

Don'tknow

Not enough informationNot enough options

Will do on my own

Question company motives

n=122

Barriers to participation include lack of time, low motivation, perception of the program as unexciting, and inconvenient or confusing program design

Q: What are reasons you are not participating? Q: Why are you unlikely to use your employer’s

wellness program in the future?

Don’t know

Confusing

Privacy issues

I have met my initial goal(s) and I’m no longer motivated


0

100

200

300

400

500

I don't have enoughtime or motivation to

exercise

n=412

I don't know whatexercise I need to do

to lose weight

n=210

I don't have enoughsupport

n=204

I don't know what Ineed to do to eat

more healthily

n=161

I don't know what Ineed to do to lose

weight

n=119

22%29%38%75% 37%% ofrespondents

Q: When trying to lose weight, what are the two biggest challenges you face?

By far, the biggest challenge to achieving weight loss is not having enough time or motivation to exercise


# of

Men

tions


0

10

20

30

40

50n=46

n=27

n=22

n=14n=13

n=10

n=7

n=37

n=29

n=49

People who don’t participate in their company’s exercise programs cite specific factors that would make them more likely to do so

Q: What, if anything, might make you participate in your wellness program’s exercise offerings?

# of

Men

tions


Q: What, if anything, might make you participate in your wellness program’s weight loss offerings?

People who don’t participate in their company’s weight loss programs say making the program free and finding more time at work would help

0

10

20

30

n=17

n=14n=13

n=10n=9

n=8 n=8 n=8

n=25

n=10

# of

Men

tions


• Lack of time was consistently named as a major barrier to engagement.

• Lack of motivation is highly cited as a reason for not participating or not achieving fitness and weight loss goals.

• Fun and excitement are missing from corporate wellness programs, according to many employees.

• People who don’t participate in their company’s exercise programs say that on-site availability and more time during the day would make them more likely to do so.

• People who don’t participate in their company’s weight loss programs say they would be more likely to do so if their employer offered incentives and if they had more time during the day.

Key Takeaways – How Can Employers Help Their Employees Succeed?


Recommendations for Employers


Focus your corporate wellness program on your employees’ three main health goals: exercise, nutrition, and weight loss.

Physical activity-related offerings reign supreme as the most popular wellness programs, so be sure to make a variety of exercise options available.

Onsite exercise facilities are in high demand, and employees say existing ones need improvement. Invest in office gyms, not just for large offices but even smaller ones too.

Employees say they value preventive screenings, indicating a desire to “know their numbers” and identify potential future health problems. Continue to invest in biometric screenings and preventive care options.

Opportunities to engage with co-workers are cherished, so make sure to promote programs that are group-facilitated or team-based.

Recommendations – What Wellness Programs To Offer to Employees


Employees say they most want to improve their health, so continue to

use this as the main call to action when marketing wellness programs to

them.

Focus on making wellness program communications bolder and simpler,

since many employees say they don’t know what is offered and that

programs appear complicated.

Employees frequently cite fitness tracking devices as a popular program

feature, so consider investing in these tools as incentives for enrollment.

Help employees to increase their motivation to engage through the use

of financial incentives, competitions, and public recognition.

Balance monetary incentives with social incentives, as employees say

both are powerful drivers of engagement.

Recommendations – How To Drive Higher Employee Engagement


Lack of time is a major barrier to health improvement, so promote exercise breaks and help employees to prioritize healthy activities during the day.

Find ways to build in more exercise opportunities at work, such as organizing walking groups, designing walking trails, and hosting sports tournaments.

Seek more effective and robust exercise, nutrition, and weight loss programs – employees say those that are already available have room for improvement.

Try to offer as many programs as possible free-of-charge, especially weight loss programs, and more employees will take advantage of the programming.

Find ways to add fun and excitement to your wellness program through games, technology, competitions, prizes, edgier marketing, and humor.

Recommendations – How To Help Employees Reach Their Goals

Report: What Employees Want In Corporate Wellness Programs

Health & Medicine

Transcript of Report: What Employees Want In Corporate Wellness Programs