Flexibility: A Key Component to a Successful Wellness Program
If COVID-19 taught us anything, it’s that we all have to be flexible—in all areas of our life. This is true of health and wellness programs, too. Effective programs are fashioned to work for a wide variety of people with different life situations, experiences and motivators.
For a wellness program to help your employees, flexibility must be built into the program so you can meet the needs of your entire workforce, including those working remotely.
If you’re in charge of running your company/organization’s health and wellness program, make sure you’re building a flexible program for all:
Your ideal program meets them where they are at on their health and wellness journey. It provides unique benchmarks, goals and content to meet everyone’s unique needs. It is flexible in its structure so that employees can adapt the programming to fit their ideal outcomes!
People have vastly different needs. They want benefits that actually BENEFIT them. Sasha in accounting is most interested in learning about how she might adjust her dietary patterns to help prevent diabetes, as she has a family history of this chronic disease. She has seen how this disrupts her family’s life, wellbeing and finances. James in marketing, however, considers himself a pretty healthy and fit person who works out four days a week. He wants to prioritize lowering his stress levels, however, and getting more rest. He knows he’ll burn out in the near future if he doesn’t take action now.
Oftentimes, programs take an inflexible approach and have structured programming, firm metrics to meet, established goals for all—and hope that the program will be effective for all those who participate. Incorporating a more flexible program that really offers employees what they need on an individual level is where programs will succeed.
12-Fix Plan Flexibility
One of the beautiful things about my 12-Fix Program is that participants adopt new health and wellness behaviors (called Fixes) most of the time, rather than 100% of the time. This flexibility provides employees with 20% leeway. In fact, participants receive full points if they do the Fixes 80% of the time. Participants learn that they don't have to be perfect to get healthier and feel better. Getting rid of this all-or-nothing perspective allows them the freedom to continue their newly formed health-promoting behaviors instead of dropping them completely with a perfectionist outlook.
The 12 Fixes are broad enough that the participants can adapt the Fixes to their individual situations. Fix 2 in the 12-Fix Plan, for example, is “Plan Protein.” The protein amount is provided as a range rather than one specific amount to work for everyone. Protein needs can be met with a variety of different foods. This flexibility allows everyone to consume enough protein throughout the day to support their focus, cravings, weight loss, muscle and bone health. All 12 Fixes in the 12-Fix Plan incorporate flexible options essential for adoption by a variety of employees.
If you want to know more about avoiding an inflexible workplace wellness program and instead provide one that is tailored to meet your employees where they are at to best meet their needs, you’re in the right place. I'm hosting 6 Mistakes Most Wellness Programs Make - And What to do Instead via LinkedIn Live this Tuesday, August 22nd, from 3pm-3:30pm - be sure to tune in!
I look forward to having you join me! I encourage you to submit questions in advance: Contact me.
