The New Year will bring in some exciting corporate wellness trends for 2018. For employers that want to lead the pack in employee health and well-being, some of the newest trends might help you take your employee wellness program up a notch. If you’re wondering what’s next for the ever-evolving wellness industry, take a look below for some workplace wellness trends can you expect to see in 2018.
A Shift in the Focus of Wellness Programs
When corporate wellness programs first took off, the focus was primarily on smoking cessation or weight loss goals. Current wellness programs have come a long way since then – and program offerings have expanded to focus on more than just the physical aspect of health. Employers are now using corporate wellness programs to increase employee engagement and to become an employer of choice. Companies are doing this by combining more traditional well-being efforts with career development efforts.
Wellness goals and career development can be combined to create a more positive work environment and successful employees. This idea of collective well-being will not only help support a healthy workforce but will increase a company’s reputation of caring for its employees. Wellness initiatives will begin to include aspects such as learning and development classes, employee recognition and workplace design. For companies looking to increase recruitment and retention efforts, shifting a focus to include collective well-being will help keep current employees happy as well as attract new talent.
More Personalized Experiences
Employees want personalized experiences in their corporate wellness programs. Wellness isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” solution. Wellness initiatives that are important to one employee might not be as important to another. Every employee’s journey to a healthier lifestyle is unique, and it should be treated as such. To create a more personalized experience for employees, employers will continue to use more digital platforms to host their wellness programs.
Using these types of platforms will help employers determine specific wellness goals and activities for each employee based on their current health status, interests and preferences. For example, data can be easily collected through integrating fitness trackers with a wellness portal. This technology can be used to help connect employees with similar health and wellness goals as well as support and reward individual progress. Employers can expect to see higher participation rates with a more personalized approach to employee wellness.