Guest Blogger: Health Enhancement Systems
An effective team component can boost wellness program participation and completion rates by 50% or more. Our new, FREE white paper, Team Wellness Challenges: Energizing Engagement, Inspiring Change, outlines 10 keys to success — here are 5 to get you started.
1. Make all elements real. While online tools make administration and support easier, team challenges should have a heavy dose of on-the-ground, face-to-face activities. Live kickoff events, weekly group activities, and celebratory wrapup gatherings create memorable moments teammates can share for years — something you just can’t achieve virtually, no matter how many badges you give out.
2. Set challenging, yet achievable team wellness goals as the measure of success. Objectives should be entirely group focused, with each participant having a meaningful role in contributing to the team’s overall success.
3. Limit wellness challenge team size. Social loafing occurs when members slack off because they feel less responsible for team results — usually because the team is too big. It’s a phenomenon that occurs in all types of teams, and it undermines success. Limiting teams to 3-8 members (4 or 5 typically work best) keeps everyone more accountable and prevents social loafing.
4. Encourage sustainable wellness habits. Emphasize consistency over super-human (and ultimately unsustainable) achievements. Keep in mind that health is a journey, not a destination, and you’re trying to reinforce habits that can be maintained over the long term.
5. Highlight achievements of the average participant. While the exploits of an uber-competitive VP of Finance may have interest to the rest of your organization’s triathletes, more people will be able to relate to the 15-year employee on the line who finally turned a corner through the support of teammates and coworkers.
A lot of wellness programs focus on throwing health information at people. Get more exercise, get more vegetables, get more sleep, get preventive care… blah, blah, blah. It’s the wrong approach because it’s boring — and because feeding people the facts doesn’t change behavior.
When done right, team wellness competitions offer a more human approach — they appeal to our sense of fun, our thirst for meaningful social connections, and our appetite for a good challenge. Most of all, they give us a reason to try harder than ever because the success of our team is at stake.
Team members benefit from collective knowledge, experience, and wisdom. They’re each other’s advocates as they all aim for the same targets together — a healthier lifestyle and enhanced well-being.
If you’re not tapping into the power of team challenges, you’re missing a huge opportunity to infuse your wellness program with the energy and inspiration needed to make a real difference in your population.
Download the FREE white paper today.
Guest Blogger: Health Enhancement Systems
