I'll Have What She's Having

Ultimately, when I listen to this query I do know that they are under the pressure of proving & guaranteeing program "success." &, although I do know there will be several colleagues who will vehemently disagree, there is no way to draw a straight line between the expense of a wellness initiative & revenue. There I said it! While this post is not about measuring wellness program ROI, it is worth noting that they cannot appear to agree on metrics that matter (claims, HRA, outcomes vs participation) or receive the information to drive the metrics (value, outcomes, degree of worker interaction across all offerings). Therefore, I'd focus on what they have accomplished with wellness initiatives & what is in store for those who are innovators.

Today, all of us appear to be under constant pressure to receive information, show ROI, & justify our choices including those that they have not yet made. Wellness programs in particular appear to be in the constant grip of the ROI mania.  every wellness weblog, newsletter, conference or webinar frantically justifies or explicates how their program measures ROI.  every client or potential client has somewhere along the line asked me "How am I able to show my boss an ROI?"

So what are they looking for when they ask, "How do I show the ROI?" First no desires to be the "fall-guy" if the program fails- no matter the way you measure failure, it is not fun. So what they require is "Best Practices," chiefly because they feel safe & are based on perceived proof - never mind how loose the research technique. In all fairness, most people are reluctant to embark on any activity that they cannot make definite when they are trying something new. Best practices provide us with possibilities & recommendations without needing to be the trail-blazer. They are fundamentally maps for us to follow to get the same results as those who went before us. However, they are so focused on best practices that they have become incapacitated with the necessity to measure. Consequently, most of the current innovations are basically new twists on delivery methods than on new models & strategies. But here's the stumbling block: when they are satisfied with a best practice approach they are telling people that we are happy being average.

Additionally, by modeling proven engagement strategies businesses will more likely increase the ROI of all of their human capital activities (worker training, flextime, worksite surroundings, etc.) by managing the whole worker experience. It is within this model that you will stretch your employees' distinctive & innovative strategies that generate natural processes of engagement through autonomy, self-actualization, a sense of accomplishment & belonging.

Best practices are followed exactly because they have shown to work historicallyin the past. Others began to imitate them & possibly add a new twist & soon more began to make the request, "I'll have what she is having" & soon they have a cookie-cutter wellness model of best practices. But as they are currently experiencing with our new economy & looming health care reform plenty of best practice models are weakening under the pressure. Higher incentives, flasher social media tools, advanced makes use of of know-how, & gimmicky programs are on the rise in hopes of influencing participation. However, without seeing your wellness program as a new comprehensive process & mindset that is integrated in to your whole business structure, these offering are basically Band-Aids within an outdated delivery model. Most wellness programs focus 90% on delivery methods (HRA, biometric screening, onsite programs, platform based programs, etc.) & 10% on framework & strategy which leaves nothing for program evaluation. Best practice models are guidelines not roadmaps. What they need is a better model which captures (engages) the hearts & minds of all employees within all aspects of the work & home environments & not the wellness program.

They get so boxed in by measurement that they grasp tightly to best practices & strive to be a tiny better next time. Engagement is not about numbers it is about individuals who are influenced by their surroundings, friends, relatives, & strong personal preferences. All of which can alter depending on circumstances & modes of behaviors. This is exactly why behavior alter processes appears to be complex although they needn't be.

Here are 6 ways to move from best practice to engaged employees today.

•   I 'm positive you may already know which wellness program parts are performing the worst. For practice let's pretend that it is telephonic heath coaching. Ask yourself, if tomorrow this was the ONLY wellness part that I could use, how would I do it differently? What metrics select this as your worst performing part? How am I able to leverage the positive aspects of this part to increase its value?

•   Now look at your best performing parts. What metrics select this? How am I able to leverage the positive aspects of this part to make it different to continue to maintain and possibly increase engagement? How might I use these parts to strengthen my worst performing programs?

•   Change your program "story." In lieu of strictly speaking about nutrition, fitness or weight-loss, change the "story" to focus on well-being. Well-being encompasses the whole human experience from interpersonal relationships to the realm of self-interests. It answers how well an individual's life is going for them based on their own standards.

•   Keep changing the story by asking other people to share their story. People enjoy hearing tales about how others accomplished difficult tasks or overcame a crisis. This also doubles as strong testimonials which let other employees know that they can attaining success.

•   "Ask the choir to recommend a song." I thought this metaphor by a promotion specialist was an ideal way to demonstrate the importance of including employees in the planning, implementation and management of engagement strategies. In fact, you may even discover a hidden innovator within the ranks.

•   Pick the way you can differentiate your program so that it is not better but diverse. Include stakeholders from each segment and division of your company including affinity groups and clubs. Plan an audit to review if and how other business partners are using engagement theories, practices, and knowledge points to measure engagement. Generate a framework or intervention mapping strategy to organize your knowledge to find similarities, gaps and feasible engagement relationships. By using an integrated engagement process, stakeholders have greater control over metrics that can actually provide correct ROI.