How to Get Employees to (Actually) Participate in Well-Being Programs
Gartner’s 2021 EVP Benchmarking Survey revealed that although 87% of employees have access to mental and emotional well-being offerings, only 23% of employees use them. Gartner has identified three strategies organizations can implement to maximize the investments made in employee well-being by boosting employee participation in offered programs:
Increase employee understanding of well-being needs and offerings
HR must increase employees’ awareness and knowledge of employer-provided well-being efforts.
- To reach all employees, the Total Rewards function should partner and maximize the strength of other communicators, such as leaders, managers, and peers.
Reduce well-being stigma and apathy
One tactic that progressive organizations are employing is empowering trusted employees to communicate the importance and normalcy of seeking support.
- It is critical that managers feel empowered to discuss personal well-being topics with their team – to let employees know that it is okay to not be okay.
- Employees are more likely to act when they hear multiple ways in which their colleagues utilized specific offerings (e.g., a dietary plan) to their benefit.
Reduce the time and effort needed to participate in well-being programs
To reach time- or energy-constrained employees, progressive organizations have adopted default enrollment in certain offerings to prevent inertia.
- HR leaders should design opt-out well-being programs rather than opt-in.
- In this scenario, all employees are enrolled in certain benefits, such as virtual exercise sessions or sessions with a financial advisor, by default with the option to opt out.
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