Employee Health Promotion

Incentives can be used to broaden participation rates, help with completion or attendance at programs, and to help people change or adhere to healthy lifestyles. The purpose of the incentive is to encourage employees to adopt positive behaviors or maintain an existing positive behavior. Everyone who achieves a objective or maintains a behavior ought to receive something. Many organizations also offer incentives merely for participating in programs. Stay away from being the “best” or doing the “most.” Encouraging employees to be the best or doing the most promotes excessive behavior, discourages others, and creates elitism. The best designed incentive programs are ones which are based on achieving goals/objectives that are attainable by most people. Recognition, acknowledgment by top management, or special privileges are examples of excellent intangible incentives. Incentive ideas:

• Free or Low-Cost:
• Certificates
• Movie passes
• Recognition in employee newsletter
• Mugs
• Water bottles
• Commendation from management
• T-shirts
• Hats

• Moderate Cost:
• Entertainment tickets
• Sweatshirts
• Waist packs
• Subscriptions to health magazines
• Health and fitness books
• Videos

• High Cost:
• Week-end getaways
• Dinner for two
• Clocks
• Watches

• Others:
• Cash
• Gift certificates