“If you were told by a doctor, if you didn’t make dramatic changes in your lifestyle habits that you would die an early death…would you change your behavior?”
The previous question was highlighted in a Fast Company article titled, “Change or Die.” Conventional wisdom says that crisis is a powerful motivator for change, but it does not necessarily motivate lifestyle change in most people. Why is that? And why, in general, are behavioral changes so incredibly difficult? What is it about how our brains are wired that make us resist change so tenaciously? More often than not people need that extra dose of motivation in order to accept such changes and stick with them for years to come. The same reasoning can be applied to ensuring employees carry out healthy lifestyles on a continuous basis.
As a company stakeholder, do you truly understand the Science of Motivation?
What makes your employees tick? Will a face-to-face talk convince your employee to stop smoking, or should you create some sort of incentive to motivate to the max? What if that one employee happened to be 5,000 employees? That’s a lot of talks. There’s still a way to show you care on an individual basis. In order to motivate a large number of employees while sustaining a culture of wellness is by using a rewards and recognition wellness program to motivate employees to partake in healthy activities on a day-to-day basis, not just for the week. At the end of the day your people are the building blocks of your business’s success, and they deserve the best.
In many ways your employees are your family.
As a company stakeholder it is your duty to make sure your employees have the opportunity to lead healthy lifestyles and feel valued and cared for. Sometimes a grim health diagnosis is not enough for someone to change their health habits, instead a continuous and motivating ‘wellness ecosystem’ is what ultimately changes lifestyle habits of employees and allows them to stay productive while leading healthy lives.
Sustainable Employee Wellness
A wellness program manages the delivery of resources in ways that enable employees to adopt and sustain healthful lifestyle habits. By implementing a wellness program for employees and then rewarding them for participating in such programs, you are showing that you care. Be assured, you will see results in the process. When you treat employees with the care and support they need to make permanent health lifestyle changes, you have succeeded not only as a company, but also as a high impact human being.
Tell us, what are some challenges facing your organization that could be solved with the use of a wellness program?
About the Author
Deb Broderson comes to Perks with 30 years of diverse experience leading channel marketing, marketing operations and program management teams within the technology industry. Deb has provided strategic direction to Fortune 500 clients, developed and executed global, multi-channel, go-to-market strategies and created worldwide field marketing organizations. Deb has worked on both the agency and client-side of the business, providing a well-rounded perspective to client challenges. Deb was honored as one of the Top 50 Channel Chiefs in North America by CRN.
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