Branding Wellness in the Workplace

Transcription

1 Branding Wellness in the Workplace July 2013

2 Foreword Wellness today is a personal priority, a community necessity and increasingly part of a company s corporate social responsibility, as a promoter for employee health and as a means to save money and cut costs. Workplace wellness programs can generate medical cost savings of about $3.27 and absenteeism-related savings of about $2.73 for every dollar invested. Programs that contain fitness components have reduced employer healthcare costs by percent. By reducing just one health risk factor, a person s productivity on the job increases by 9 percent and absenteeism is reduced by 2 percent. 1 Today, employees make up the largest wellness consumer audience for brands that want to be partners in the pursuit for wellness. It is valuable for employers to bring wellness solutions to their employees, and for those companies that have health and wellness brands and propositions, it is even more valuable to bring those solutions to other corporate wellness initiatives. Brands and companies can appeal to this growing health awareness, regardless of whether they compete in a health-related industry. To do so, they should: Identify ways to integrate with or establish their own workplace wellness solutions that fit within the wellness needs of organizations. Determine how to become partners with smaller companies that carry a larger burden to provide simple wellness solutions. Look at core attributes and pinpoint how to be part of a holistic solution. Just because a company is not a traditional health and wellness brand, does not mean it can t provide health and wellness benefits. For example, many studies show that laughter has positive health benefits, so brands like FunnyorDie.com can play a role in overall health and wellness. By making health in the workplace more efficient, a brand will go a long way in establishing credibility, building trust and ultimately creating an ongoing dialogue with employers that will cascade into the consumer audience. 1

3 Opportunities at a Glance WELLNESS OPPORTUNITY Systemic Health in the Workplace Employees as health and wellness consumers focus more on acting and living in ways that benefit themselves and their communities, and they bring social consciousness into the workplace for the greater good. Wellness programs provide opportunities to protect the community s health. Companies and brands that demonstrate how they reinvest workplace wellness savings back into resources and programs that benefit the employee and larger community will see more compliance and participation in prevention programs as well as adherence to healthy behaviors. With the rise of fitness trackers, a brand can work with companies to create a wellness tracker, helping an individual track and see how their wellness actions are helping to uphold community wellness. A company could track illness and overlay data with information from different companies wellness programs, underscoring organizations and individuals who are helping to improve community health. To ensure that everyone gets involved, an internal counter could track how individual behaviors contribute to insurance savings. WELLNESS OPPORTUNITY Bringing School into the Workplace Healthful foods and beverages for children has been a focus for the community to help change the way children eat in their schools and at home. While we are actively changing the options and ways children approach food, we should probably take some of those lessons and apply them in our own workplace for everyone s health and wellness. Health and wellness minded companies can help give employees what they seek healthful options. A few of the things that we can expect to see more of: The American Beverage Association worked with its member organizations and the city governments of Chicago and San Antonio to install Calories Count beverage machines, giving people clear information about their choices. Fresh Healthy Vending is a franchisee company that provides vending machines carrying fresh and healthy nationally known brands. Companies who want to foster healthy eating in moderation to live a balanced lifestyle can procure simple, easy tools and guides to incorporate into their wellness plans. They can also assemble groups and meetings to establish an atmosphere of healthful eating. 2

4 WELLNESS OPPORTUNITY Employer-Approved Gaming Companies seeking ways to differentiate and get people engaged will increasingly turn to gaming and social networking approaches, tools that people enjoy using, to amp up wellness efforts among employees. The number of health apps increased by approximately 120 percent last year, and workplace wellness solutions are making up an ever-increasing portion of that growth. 2 Coupled with the desire to engage together as a community, the future for wellness games and social networking tools is strong. Workplace Gaming for Health: Keas is a workplace-based gaming platform that connects co-workers while making exercising, eating healthfully and taking better care of yourself fun and engaging. In pilot programs, 70 percent of those who signed up for the game actively participated. Those who reported weight loss about 60 percent of all participants dropped an average of 5.5 pounds. Positive Social Networking: Sending a company-wide with your company s wellness plan is not enough. Companies use tools like Nudge to encourage employees to use social media profiles to drive home health and wellness messages by creating a wellness hub, full of reminders, tips, advice and competition. Gaming to Win: A company could create a tool that helps people keep track of their preventive healthy behaviors and win spot prizes for their progress. WELLNESS OPPORTUNITY Ergonomic Wellness Office work can lead to a myriad of health problems. Sitting in front of a screen all day has been linked to everything from chronic back pain to increased obesity to the sobering proposition that those sitting for 11 or more hours per day increase risk of death by 40 percent, regardless of other activity levels. Companies are discovering the opportunity to create tools, furniture and devices that make the office ergonomically healthier. Employers and employees understand the need to get up and do more to stay active, but often find it challenging to find the balance between productivity and health. This presents new opportunities for brands in the health and wellness space. Ergonomically designed office furniture and tools can help alleviate pain and stress. New tools that encourage employees to stand during the day can prevent people from sitting too much. A coffee break away from the desk, a few exercises to do at lunch to get the blood moving or even an online break video to provide some stress relief can help break up the day and support wellness efforts. 3

5 WELLNESS OPPORTUNITY Cleanliness Is Next to Wellness Companies put more focus than ever on ensuring that everyone works together to help keep the workplace healthy. The future of more rampant flu seasons to superbugs continuing to extend reach outside of hospital walls make it paramount to take lessons from organizations and brands who successfully promote healthy workspaces, keep illness at bay and reduce absenteeism. Companies can be more prepared. Brands that can implement simple solutions that help keep workspaces germ free and provide tools to work away from the office will help ensure everyone can accomplish their work while maintaining wellness. A cleaning brand that creates products to help prevent the spread of illness in the workplace, could elevate its work with wellness organizations, employers and human resource professionals to develop protocols and germ-killing packages for employees. Technology companies could further refine their offerings so that smaller devices work for personal and professional use, making mobile work even simpler. 1 Gallup, ACSM, American Heart Association and PreventDisease.com

6 Leslie Schrader Partner and Director, DC Brand Practice and Well-Connected Deirdre Middleton Vice President/Group Manager