{"id":13861,"date":"2017-04-17T14:00:05","date_gmt":"2017-04-17T14:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/affordable-wellness-rewards-people-will-love\/"},"modified":"2022-12-09T03:10:53","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T08:10:53","slug":"affordable-wellness-rewards-people-will-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/affordable-wellness-rewards-people-will-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Affordable Wellness Prizes And Incentives People Will Love"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In our podcast<\/a>, we talked about how wellness programs are\u00a0becoming a must-have, as more and more employees expect their employer to provide some wellness benefits. Yet, there\u2019s this notion that you need to be a big corporation with a deep pocket to have a comprehensive program. This is simply not true.<\/p>\n

Small companies can deliver a quality wellness program on a tight budget, and this is because of a simple principle: good employee wellness programs are ones filled with genuine care and the desire to help, not dollar bills.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

We\u2019ve previously discussed the technical aspect<\/a> of running a step challenge, as well as ways to communicate with employees<\/a> to increase retention and engagement in the first two articles of this Wellness on a Budget series. In this article, we\u2019ll talk about the third biggest component of a wellness program: coming up with thoughtful and affordable rewards.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Rewards are important for several reasons. First, having something to work towards can be a significant incentive for some employees to join. Critics\u00a0argue<\/a> that sustainable behavior changes come from intrinsic motivation and providing external rewards might not be enough for participants to keep their habits after finishing the program. We don\u2019t disagree, as there are merits to this argument. However, it is undeniable that some people just need a little push. They might be entirely happy with their lifestyle and would not even give wellness habits a try. In these cases, giving employees the incentive to stay healthy and enticing people to participate in wellness programs for a prize acts as a bridge from the couch to a 5K, from McDonald’s to a salad.<\/p>\n

Another important question that program organizers need to ask themselves is: Who am I trying to help? Most of the time, the target participants are not the ones who are already active and eat healthily. These employees, regardless of company\u2019s effort, will go out of their way to continue their wellness habits. It is the people who are less health-conscious that need external motivation. They would benefit from employee wellness programs and challenges the most.<\/p>\n

That said, companies with small budgets still have to be mindful about the cost since the price tags of healthy goodies can be hefty. Activity trackers can go above a hundred dollar apiece, and other wellness subscriptions, when purchasing in bulk, can cost a small fortune. On the other end of the spectrum, getting $20 gift cards might not act as big enough of an incentive for people to join. The best solution lays somewhere in the middle: a reward that is meaningful, attractive, yet affordable for the organizer.<\/p>\n

Here are three of our favorite affordable rewards:<\/p>\n

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#1 Public Recognition<\/h2>\n

\"EmployeePublic recognition is a powerful way to motivate employees, especially in a competitive environment. While it typically goes with other perks such as gift cards or goodies, the recognition on its own can be a good start.<\/p>\n

The fastest (and easiest) way to recognize outstanding participants are:<\/p>\n