Measuring Up in Wellness

Wellness is about more than any single individual or organization—it’s about a genuine culture shift toward healthier living. A wellness culture shift can drive reduced costs and improved employee well-being.

Each year, we recognize outstanding employer programs through the Cigna Well-Being Award^® program. And along the way, we’ve discovered some trends among 2018’s winners. ¹

• 100 percent have executive and middle management support

• 100 percent allow employee participation during work hours

• 100 percent have a physical well-being infrastructure (fitness rooms, healthy food options)

• 93 percent have an active wellness committee

• 93 percent share their wellness outcomes and results with employees

• 87 percent include spouses in their programs

• 67 percent have more than half of their employees participating in health assessments

In summary, the most successful employer wellness programs have buy-in from the top down—and that success is about offering more, not less.

Where do I begin?

You’ll want to find activities that can spark real enthusiasm in your workplace. Here are a few ideas from winning workplaces to get you started.

NAIC: Balancing the scale

The NAIC subsidized Weight Watchers^® At Work and achieved a total employee weight loss of nearly 2,000 lbs. in 2 years. ¹ And in an effort to foster better work-life balance, the company also implemented an Infants in the Workplace program, allowing parents to bring babies to work until 6 months of age, totaling 152,000 day-care hours saved to date. ¹

KCP&L: Tools for success

KCP&L rewarded employees with health savings account contributions up to $720 for visiting their primary care provider, completing a health assessment, and participating in a quarterly challenge or lifestyle management program. The company also developed a helpful KCP&L Benefits mobile app to help employees track their benefits information and engage in interactive well-being challenges, and they provided year-long opportunities for employees to win prizes such as Fitbits^®, smart scales, and blood pressure monitors.

Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation: Eyes on the prizes

The Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. encouraged and rewarded participation with raffle prizes, such as customized sneakers. Their efforts achieved high participation rates, with 89 percent of employees participating in health assessments, 88 percent in biometric screenings, and 59 percent in adult annual physicals.¹

Come do well with us

Ready to implement your own wellness culture at work? It’s a smart choice for your employees–and your organization’s bottom line.