Now, don’t get us wrong – employees well-being challenges have their place in an overall corporate wellness strategy. However, they are just one component. Employees that have ongoing, chronic stress may not have the bandwidth or interest in a well-being challenge. Through our assessments, we have learned that the below focus areas will provide the greatest impact on many employee populations.
Customization matters more than one-size-fits-all programming. Research increasingly supports workplace approaches that account for differences in employees needs, preferences, and work arrangements rather than assuming one program will work equally well for everyone. Many of our groups have hybrid work arrangements. Not all employees are in the office on a given day. For these groups we schedule virtual and onsite programs and alternate days of the week and times of the day.
We have also found that providing a wide variety of well-being topics is the most engaging and effective for supporting diverse groups. Research has also shown that individual well-being consultations are highly effective with positive behavior change and health outcomes. This option allows for employees to meet with a Registered Dietitian on our team and speak about their individual health concerns. Through this therapy we are able to help employees throughout the country with nutrition and wellness.
Convenience can influence participation. Employees are more likely to encounter barriers to wellness participation when programs require them to be in a particular place at a particular time. On-demand education, virtual resources, and flexible access can reduce some of those barriers by allowing employees to engage with wellness content around their work schedules and personal responsibilities.
Research supports the value of this approach. A systematic review of 22 randomized controlled trials involving digital workplace health interventions found that all but one study reported at least one significantly improved health-related outcome, including areas such as sleep, mental health, physical activity, and sedentary behavior. The researchers did note that maintaining engagement remained a challenge, reinforcing the importance of how digital programs are designed and delivered. Importantly, convenience alone isn’t enough. Research examining employees’ experiences with digital workplace mental-health interventions found that employees viewed convenience and flexibility as facilitators of engagement, while lack of time was identified as a major barrier. Participants also expressed interest in resources they could access in shorter segments and return to as needed.
Providing a combination of live well-being programming, on-demand education, virtual resources, and opportunities for personalized support can give employees multiple ways to engage. The objective is not to eliminate live events or human interaction, but to remove unnecessary barriers and give employees more control over when and how they participate in their well-being.
Well-being programs can address more than physical activity. Systematic-review evidence shows workplace wellness interventions can improve outcomes such as physical health, work-ability, and productivity, supporting a broader approach that includes nutrition, stress, sleep, mental well-being, and other health behaviors. In recent years we have heard from thousands of employees on how their sleep has been impacted. When we lead our “Achieving a Good Night’s Rest” presentation, groups share that this topic has truly impacted their sleep and health in a positive way. The groups we work with share that our holistic approach to well-being has significantly improved their employee health, and corporate culture. Check out a few of our client reviews here.
Psychological safety should be part of the wellness conversation. In the APA’s 2024 Work in America survey, 43% of workers said they typically feel tense or stressed during their workday, while workers reporting lower psychological safety reported substantially higher levels of stress. Chronic stress keeps the body in a constant state of fight-or-flight, flooding the system with high levels of cortisol and adrenaline that slowly damage nearly every major system over time. This is why stress management must be included in your corporate worksite well-being program.
The goal should be ongoing access—not another short-term participation contest. Your 2027 wellness strategy can combine education, personalized resources, and multiple ways to participate so employees can access support when they actually need it. Providing wellness education in a flexible format can remove some of those barriers. Employees can watch a webinar during a convenient break, revisit information when they need it, or choose topics that are most relevant to their individual health and well-being. This shifts wellness from something employees have to “fit into” their schedules to a resource that can fit into the way they already work and live. Select from our on-demand wellness learning library, virtual presentations, onsite wellness days, individual nutrition consults, and much more.
Planning your 2027 employee wellness strategy? Let’s talk about how B.Komplete can create a customized program your employees will actually use.