Welcome to Part Three of our special series “Going Beyond” where we’ll be challenging the status quo in the wellness industry with fresh thinking, new approaches and increased accountability.
As we discussed earlier in this series, there is a big difference between wellness and wellbeing. There is also a big difference between administering a program and implementing a strategy. Committing to an evidence-based, scientifically-valid approach is critical.
Below is four step process that we’ve found to be effective for ensuring success:
Step One: Interpret
Complete a thorough wellbeing assessment of your population to create a baseline for building smart solutions. This can be accomplished through a comprehensive biometric screening and a survey on the health and lifestyle factors of your population. Using the benchmark wellbeing risks as your gold standard, you can identify your biggest opportunities for improvement.
Step Two: Strategize
Based on your wellbeing assessment, set a long-term plan to reach true potential. Your sights should be set on a 25 percent reduction in benchmark wellbeing risks. This will require a three-year strategic plan geared specifically toward addressing these risks. Make sure your selected partner brings an experienced team to the table that can help you customize your strategy while also applying science and best practices. You don’t want a one-size-fits-all solution, but you do want to make adjustments based on evidence and your population’s specific needs. In your three-year plan, you will need to plan for driving participation of at least 80 percent to achieve your desired results.
Step Three: Engage
Motivate individuals to make progress on their journey to true potential and surround them with tools for improving physical, emotional, social and financial wellbeing. Remember, you are focusing specifically on benchmark wellbeing risks, which means the support you provide and the rewards you use should all directly tie back to positively influencing lifestyle habits associated with those risks. We will talk more about setting up a scientifically valid rewards platform in part four of our series.
Step Four: Measure
Leverage robust reporting to measure the success of your wellbeing strategy, ensure progress toward your goals and establish accountability for creating value. Make sure you have a clear picture of benchmark wellbeing risk reduction and its impact on medical costs and productivity so that you know if your goals are being met and how you can improve. As we discussed last week, demand transparency and accountability from your partners, or find a new one!
It boils down to this. Wellness programs are out. Wellbeing strategies are in. Are you currently executing a strategic plan based on evidence, or are you stuck in a tactical level program that can’t take you where you need to go? It might be time to go beyond.
<<< Read Part Two of Going Beyond: Establishing Transparency & Accountability
Stay tuned to our series on Going Beyond for more guidance on how you can help your organization, and your employees, reach true potential. Also, check out our whitepaper The Roadmap to True Potential for a one-stop guide to going beyond.
