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The term \u201clifestyle incentive program\u201d was not in the public consciousness very much until recently. In the past few years, more companies are investigating and implementing these programs, and in many instances, they\u2019re seeing positive results from them.<\/p>\n
A lifestyle incentive program capitalizes on the idea that employees will take better care of themselves if their employer incentivizes them to do so. This, in turn, leads to lower healthcare costs for which the employer has to pay. It makes sense for companies to offer a combination of an\u00a0employee healthcare plan<\/a>\u00a0and a lifestyle incentive program.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at how such plans are improving workplace wellness.<\/p>\n Companies that try to get their employees to engage in fun activities don\u2019t have as much turnover. A\u00a0lifestyle incentive program<\/a>\u00a0shows that a business cares enough to try and retain their workers. Part of these plans might include:<\/p>\n Having these kinds of activities for your employees gets them talking and energized about their health. They understand that you\u2019re attempting to help them stay fit, and they\u2019re sure to appreciate your investment in them.<\/p>\n Incentivizing healthy behavior<\/a>\u00a0often has a positive effect over time. People want to win prizes and participate in games and events. That is why employers should set up competitions where the employees can win:<\/p>\n If there is a tangible goal to staying healthy, other than a lengthier and better life, it gives employees something on which to focus. Their willingness to eat healthily and exercise will increase if they know that not just a prize, but also bragging rights are on the line.<\/p>\n Some businesses have come up with\u00a0proprietary software applications<\/a>\u00a0that employees can use to keep track of their healthy behavior.<\/p>\n For instance, they might use the app to score points when they meet with their health coach or practice a stress-reducing exercise. They may get more points by bringing in a healthy lunch from home several times per week.<\/p>\n Other possibilities might include taking a stress quiz on the app or going to a preventative doctor or dentist visit. These are all activities that are good to do, but when they become a game, there is extra motivation for engaging in them.<\/p>\n People respond well to games, so it makes sense that these types of apps have caught on with many different companies.<\/p>\n Ideally, employees will engage in healthy behaviors when they\u2019re away from the office. That\u2019s why some companies will offer a gym membership or even a monthly massage credit with a new contract.<\/p>\n However, there\u2019s no guarantee that an employee will act a certain way away from work. Because of this, some companies now have gym facilities on the premises. Some of them have spas or yoga studios right on the grounds.<\/p>\n This type of thing is quite common with Silicon Valley and forward-thinking tech companies. They might offer yoga classes during the day, or popular exercise programs like Spin or SoulCycle classes.<\/p>\n Even the bosses might participate. It is all presented as fun activities that the employees can enjoy together, and their improved health is the benefit.<\/p>\n Some companies have also experimented with so-called \u201coutcome-based\u201d programs. The way it works is that if an employee demonstrates good health results in their life like if they\u00a0lower their bad cholesterol<\/a>\u00a0or blood pressure, their monthly health insurance payments will go down.<\/p>\n Some people respond well to this prompting. It makes sense because you\u2019re being held solely responsible for your actions as it concerns your health. No one wants more money deducted from their paycheck for healthcare, so that might be what it takes to get them to exercise more and eat a healthy diet.<\/p>\n These types of plans are a relatively new idea, but they\u2019re smart, and their popularity will likely grow. In a country where privatized healthcare is a reality, plan costs are through the roof. Companies must contend with that, just like self-employed individuals who get their healthcare through the marketplace.<\/p>\n Employers trying to get their workers in better shape makes sense for everyone involved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The term \u201clifestyle incentive program\u201d was not in the public consciousness very much until recently. In the past few years, more companies are investigating and implementing these programs, and in many instances, they\u2019re seeing positive results from them. A lifestyle incentive program capitalizes on the idea that employees will take better care of themselves if… How Lifestyle Incentive Programs are Improving Workplace Wellness<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":6946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6947,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6945\/revisions\/6947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flevy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}These Plans Improve Morale<\/h2>\n
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Incentivizing Healthy Behaviors Works<\/h2>\n
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Rewards Programs Show Good Results<\/h2>\n
Some Companies Offer Activities at Work<\/h2>\n
Outcome-Based Programs are Possible<\/h2>\n