Competition is good when it comes to incentives
Competition is good when it comes to incentives
At Carolinas HealthCare System, employees can save $200, $400 or $600 annually by meeting up to 10 wellness criteria, such as exercising regularly, using seatbelts, or avoiding tobacco products. The program is part of the LiveWELL Carolinas initiative, and more than 25,000 eligible employees were entitled to register. "We had a preliminary goal that 26% of our population would register and take the online health questionnaire. We actually had 41%," reports Mary Jane Rink, RN, AVP of the Carolinas program.
A total of 1,171 employees signed up for LiveWELL Warriors, a six-month, intensive weight loss/lifestyle modification program that only accepts employees with a body mass index of 30 or greater. In a recent class of 302 workers, 105 completed the entire program and lost an average of 21 pounds. The group also made other healthy changes, with 54% eating fast food for breakfast less often, and 28% drinking fewer sweetened beverages.
Here are four reasons the organization got such good results:
1. It's easy for workers to participate.
Previously, employees came to the central office in the main facility. Now specialists advertise the hours they'll be at each location, for all three shifts. "Our program has evolved from being centrally located, expecting employees to come to us, to a more strategic 'deployment' of our wellness specialists out to over 15 locations," says Rink.
2. The programs are customized.
"Standard" programs for weight loss, walking clubs, lunch & learns, and wellness assessments are provided at all sites. "But as the specialist becomes more familiar with the unique culture of every site, he or she customizes the offerings," says Rink. "Through a series of brainstorming meetings, focus groups, and surveys, we have been able to determine what employees want versus what we say they need."
It turned out that employees wanted help with stress-related issues — specifically, a quiet place to escape for a minute during the shift and massage therapy on the units. "We did pretests to measure perceived stress levels, and plan to do post-testing for follow up," says Rink.
3. "Champions" are used to promote the programs.
Rink says that one of the best things you can do when getting a program started is to identify "leaders that employees admire. Enlist their help in getting something small started." Rink met with every administrator at every location, and his or her leadership team. "These folks identified employees whom they thought would like to get involved," she says. "We met with these identified employees, who spread the word to others they know, in a grassroots fashion." To reward the champions, a LiveWELL calendar was published with many of their stories and photos, and they receive a free LiveWELL cookbook of recipes from employees.
4. Friendly competition is encouraged.
Quarterly wellness challenges are held, with prizes going to the winning teams, and winners posted on the hospital's web site. "We go to the departments with a basket of healthy goodies, and have a small celebration to grab some attention," says Rink. "Ours is a competitive group."
The "challenges" are usually tied to an event the hospital system is sponsoring. For example, the next event involves a benefit for the Levine Children's Hospital. The hospital has partnered with a local running company to create training plans for employees who have never run, or for those who want to improve their times.
A large trophy goes to the vice president whose division hosts the winning team, and the department gets to keep it for the quarter. "We have regular leadership meetings that are well attended," adds Rink. "We present the trophy, Emmy awards style, to the VP. That really gets the competition going!"
At Carolinas HealthCare System, employees can save $200, $400 or $600 annually by meeting up to 10 wellness criteria, such as exercising regularly, using seatbelts, or avoiding tobacco products.Subscribe Now for Access
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