Health risk assessments. Biometric screenings. Employees are often asked by their employers to provide some of their most personal data. But how often do we ask them what they’d like out of a corporate wellness program? What would keep them more engaged? How can we help them meet their health goals?

ShapeUp surveyed one thousand employees from some of the largest employers in America and published our survey findings in the 2012 What Employees Want In Wellness report. The report provides many insights into the wellness desires of U.S. employees. It also offers views of what can assist with engagement and goal achievement in employee wellness programs.

The report comes at a time when employers are paying a high amount to gain participation in corporate wellness programs. The ShapeUp Employer Wellness Survey, conducted earlier this year, found that employers are spending an average of $375 per employee per year on wellness incentives. With all of this money being offered, it is clearly an economic advantage for employees to participate in corporate wellness. But how might we engage them over the long term, and help them take healthy actions without continuing to increase the financial rewards associated with doing so?

Key findings of the 2012 What Employees Want In Wellness report include:

• 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 strongly value free wellness programs, citing that as a major reason for participation.
• While monetary incentives are a driver of participation, employees also say that they are more likely to engage in corporate wellness programs when they have the opportunity to participate with friends and family.
• Across all health and fitness levels, the majority of employees share three common health goals: improving physical fitness, healthier eating, and losing weight. Fifty-five per cent of fit respondents cited improving general fitness as their top goal, and sixty-seven per cent of unfit respondents cited losing weight as theirs.

Employees also shed light on how their employers can help them succeed in wellness:

• 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.
• People who do not 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.

The findings of our survey provides shed new light on how engagement can be boosted in corporate wellness programs. First, employers should start by focusing their corporate wellness program on the three main health goals of employees: exercise, nutrition, and weight loss. They should also seek more effective and robust programming in this area, as employees say those that are already available have room for improvement. 

Physical activity-related offerings reign supreme as the most popular wellness programs, so be sure to make a variety of exercise options available, including on-site exercise facilities, which are in high demand from employees. Boost participation by investing in gyms for offices that are large and small. Lack of time is a major barrier to health improvement, so promote exercise breaks and help employees to prioritize healthy activities like organizing walking groups, promoting walking meetings, and hosting sports tournaments during the day.

Finally, employees say that opportunities to engage with co-workers are cherished. Tap into this social aspect of wellness by promoting programs that are group-facilitated or team-based. And try to offer as many programs as possible free-of-charge, especially weight loss programs, so more employees will take advantage of the programming.

The full 2012 What Employees Want In Wellness survey report is available online.