Rewards

Rewards and recognition encourage employee engagement and are key to sustaining a successful wellness program over time. Click yes on this checkbox if you do any of the following:

• Reward or recognize employees for participating in health and wellness activities (can be public praise, certificate, prizes or non-monetary rewards, or an incentive tied to benefits)
• Reward or recognize employees for achieving significant health improvements (can be public praise, certificate, prizes or non-monetary rewards an incentive tied to benefits))

If you aren’t currently rewarding and recognizing employees, here are some tips to get started:

Written notes and verbal praise are very important, and a certificate congratulating someone for reaching a goal is always appreciated. Depending on where you work, a designated parking spot can often be a wonderful reward. If you have a small budget for wellness, you might consider purchasing rewards such as low-cost pedometers or gift cards for healthy beverages or snacks. A great free reward is a half day off (or extra vacation time).

A write-up or “shout-out” in a company-wide email, newsletter or intranet is a good way to acknowledge a significant wellness achievement such as becoming tobacco-free, losing and then maintaining a significant amount of weight, participating in a 5K or marathon, or completing a long bike trip. This type of recognition is often appreciated by the employee and motivational for the whole staff. It’s a good idea to include the employee’s processes and struggles, the “personal story” of the accomplishment.