Boosting participation in chronic condition programs
Ask workers what they want and need
Thousands of dollars are invested in a new diabetes program, but participation rates are dismal and you don't know why. How do you turn this all-too-common situation around?
According to a recent survey from Hewitt Associates, 74% of companies are targeting specific health conditions, up from 51% a year ago. However, only about 10% of eligible workers chose to participate in these programs.
"The more employees that participate, the bigger impact we can have," says Elysa Jacobs, MS, RD, manager of corporate health improvement programs at Stanford, CT-based Pitney Bowes.
Here are two proven ways to get participation rates climbing:
Ask employees what type of help is needed most.
One problem is that employees with chronic conditions may feel "blamed and victimized" instead of supported, according to Karen Mastroianni, RN, MPH, COHN-S, FAAOHN, co-owner and health and safety strategist for Raleigh, NC-based Dimensions in Occupational Health & Safety, which provides integrated health, safety and wellness solutions for businesses.
"I have been on both sides of the fence. Often the programs to help, in my case a family member with a chronic condition, are an interrogation of 'shoulds,' 'whys' and 'have tos' without once looking at how our overall lives have been impacted," says Mastroianni.
Instead of bombarding the employee with information and instructions, ask what he or she needs most. "Our most successful programs have been employee-driven," says Mastroianni. "Instead of focusing on exercise, weight loss, nutrition, and medication for a diabetic, the focus may be sleeping better, stress management, or assistance with the employee's ailing family member. Then guess what? They begin to exercise and eat better."
Don't rely on a single method of communication.
One size doesn't' fit all when it comes to getting the word out about wellness programs. "For certain parts of our employee population, e-mail works very well. Others don't see e-mail at all, so daily huddles work better for them," says Jacobs.
Employee success stories seem to work best for weight management programs, says Jacobs, while home mailings are used to reach family members in addition to employees.
At Warrenville, IL-based Navistar, a wide variety of methods is used to boost participation, including a quarterly newsletter, posters, flyers, bulletin boards, TV monitors and site-specific communications such as daily newsletters and all-employee meetings. "In January 2009, a calendar was mailed to all employees homes with program information and start dates," says Dawn Weddle, the company's wellness and behavioral health manager.
Jacobs attributes Pitney Bowes' program growth to word of mouth from participants happy with their own results. "We try to connect with employees using their preferred channel," she says. For example, employees in the weight management program participate in weekly webinars, or watch a recorded webinar when they have time. Participants in the "Learn and Earn" can use CD, online or paper versions.
SOURCES
For more information on increasing participation rates for wellness programs, contact:
Patti Clavier, BSN, RN, COHN-S, Manager, Global Health for Life Wellness Program, Intel, Santa Clara, CA. E-mail: [email protected]
Karen Mastroianni, RN, MPH, COHN - S, FAAOHN, Co-Owner and Health & Safety Strategist, Dimensions in Occupational Health & Safety, Raleigh, NC. Phone: (919) 676-2877 ext. 12. E-mail: [email protected].
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