10 Reasons Clients Choose WellSteps for their Corporate Wellness Programs

Organizations have many options when choosing a wellness partner. It’s not a decision to take lightly, as your choice of wellness program has a direct impact on employee health and productivity as well as organizational costs and business outcomes.

Since 2007, hundreds of organizations have partnered with WellSteps to launch successful wellness programs. We interviewed several of our clients to understand why, in their words, they chose WellSteps.

Summary

Top reasons clients choose WellSteps for their corporate wellness programs include:

10 Reasons Why Clients Choose WellSteps for their Corporate Wellness Programs

1. User-Friendly Platform

Customers say our free app makes it easy to participate in the program.

“It is simple to use. Our associates earn rewards points that can become savings on their benefits the following year. WellSteps put that together in a neat little package for us,” says Susan AdelsbergerBenefits Administrator, Wellness and Retirement, Be Secure (DHL Supply Chain). “I like the campaigns and Quizzeos. Lots of opportunity to learn more.”

Some of our clients’ favorite app features include:

• Ease of capturing data
• Wearables integration
• Automation
• Social engagement
• Activity and incentive trackers
• Team campaigns and personal challenges
• Goal setting and behavior change tools
• Coordinator reporting capabilities

“WellSteps made the choice easy with a user-friendly platform and a dedicated guide for our plan,” says Courtney FoleyHuman Resourced Manager at Alabama Home Builders Self Insurers Fund.

Many clients say the app helps increase wellness program participation rates.

“I really like that there’s the WellSteps app. We are getting better participation because people can track wellness activities on their phones,” says Stephanie LescoSupervisor, Administrative Services Division, Lorain County Public Health.

RELATED: 10 Best Features of Wellness Platforms

2. Campaigns and Challenges

WellSteps clients also cite our behavior change campaigns and personal challenges – along with gamification and rewards – as top reasons for choosing WellSteps. Our programs are based on the AMSO model (HASwareness, Mmotivation, Skills, and Opportunities), a data-backed framework developed by Dr. Michael O’Donnell that’s proven to improve employee health behaviors.

“Popular features with our staff include large team campaigns, personal challenges, and the ease of capturing data,” Courtney says.

Our program offers both peer and individual challenges that can start at any time.

Stephanie echoes that sentiment: “We like the challenges. They’re something we see a lot of departments doing for their staff. They can be something tailored to team members’ interests.”

RELATED: How the Best Worksite Wellness Programs Change Behavior

3. Dedicated Guides

WellSteps clients appreciate our dedicated guides for their partnership approach and ongoing support.

“We like having independent representatives who work with us and are phenomenal with our staff,” Stephanie says. “We know we are not Michelle and Caroline’s only clients, but they make us feel like we are. We never feel like we are just a customer buying a product. Our WellSteps representatives are invested in us, care about our team, and value our feedback, and that speaks volumes about the program.”

All WellSteps guides have bachelor’s degrees and professional experience in wellness-related fields. In addition, each client has at least two guides who take a collaborative approach to support their on-site wellness teams.

“Our WellSteps guides have always been helpful and super responsive,” says Susan.

WellSteps guides make it easy for companies to run a successful wellness program that works for their organizations.

“It is easy to handle on the administrative side because you have a guide helping every step of the way!” Courtney says.

RELATED: How to Get Leadership Support for Employee Wellness

4. Customization

WellSteps doesn’t take a cookie-cutter approach to wellness. Our clients appreciate how we customize programs to meet the needs of their organizations through thoughtful planning, which increases engagement and fosters overall program success.

“You can cater the program to employees’ needs and abilities, cater it to change based on how many people you actually have. It would be a program that works whether you have a large or small agency,” Stephanie says. “We think that customer service is phenomenal. You’re not organizing this all by yourself. You can truly go to WellSteps and ask them to create a program with the ability to edit as you need to.”

We recognize that every company comes with a unique culture and set of barriers. Working across all industries and sizes helps us create successful programs that address barriers and have high impact and success.

“We also try to make it fun. We survey staff to get input on what campaigns we’re going to do because we know that getting buy-in from the team is important if we’re going to keep the program going,” Stephanie adds.

RELATED: Increasing Wellness Program Participation: 5 Key Elements for Motivating Participation

5. Holistic Approach

Clients say they also choose WellSteps for our holistic approach centered on the six pillars of wellness: physical, mental and emotional, nutritional, occupational, financial, and social.

“It is a great tool to help your staff know that you care about the ‘whole’ person, not just how productive they are at the office,” Courtney says. “They feel invested in it.”

John PittmanPresident of Fransen Pittman Construction, adds: “Our wellness program is more than just diet and physical fitness. It’s about how a person functions at all levels.”

RELATED: Six Pillars of Wellness for a Holistic Life

6. Culture, Fellowship, and Connection

WellSteps’ wellness programs also foster improved culture, camaraderie, and connection. Courtney says Alabama Home Builders Self Insurers Fund has increased engagement between departments because they’ve connected through wellness goals, and John at Fransen Pittman says their wellness program has heavily influenced company culture – and vice versa.

“At Fransen Pittman, everything we do focuses on making people’s lives better. We created our wellness program to reflect this purpose. More than just quantitatively measuring the health of our employees, what I’m most proud of is watching the web of benefits emerge from this program that we didn’t even expect,” John says. “For example, we support the community and promote a great cause through our annual MS150 bike ride and fundraising. I’ve seen the financial strain of our employees resolve and their day-to-date attitude improve. Most of all, our wellness program has become embedded in our culture.”

7. Lower Costs

WellSteps’ wellness programs have also lowered costs for employers and their employees.

“We have also been able to keep healthcare costs increasing at a lower-than-average rate… increases have been lower than the market increase most years,” Courtney says.

Employees can reduce healthcare costs by participating in wellness programs.

“Our plan is designed to reward associates for incorporating healthy habits by lowering their benefit premiums,” Susan says. “Depending on the coverage our participating associates elect and how much they engage with the program, they could save up to 35% off their benefits premiums.”

RELATED: Impact of Employee Wellness Programs on Health Care Costs

8.Value

Clients say they find excellent value in WellSteps, which costs as low as $0.50 per employee per month.

“We looked at quite a few programs before we finally decided that WellSteps would meet our company needs the best. Some of the other programs were very gamified, others were too dull. Some were websites trying to do wellness and did not know what kind of content is needed. WellSteps was health and wellness content that was put into a website. And they are a good value,” Susan says. “WellSteps has been a wonderful partner from the start! Next year will be Year 10 with them walking alongside us with wellness.”

That value extends to employees.

“Participation not only benefits you health-wise; it benefits you financially by earning money toward your health insurance deductible,” says Stephanie. “With our program, you earn a great deal of wellness points for preventive care, which are the appointments and activities you would regularly complete.”

RELATED: 5 Secrets to Successful Corporate Wellness Programs

9. Constant Improvement

WellSteps is an award-winning wellness program, but we don’t rest on our laurels – another thing our clients appreciate.

“WellSteps is always improving their product and making sure that the program is not stagnant,” John says. “They are always incorporating new tools, resources, and not only listen to their clients but also provide guidance and expertise.”

RELATED: How Fransen Pittman Cultivates Employee Wellness and Culture with WellSteps

10. Real Results

Ultimately, results are what matters, and our clients stick with us because our programs are proven to lower costs and improve employee wellness – and that’s backed by our industry-exclusive performance guarantee.

“We have seen better physical health, including more routine doctor visits to maintain a healthy balance. The program seems to help mentally by keeping health at the forefront of our minds, whether it be movement or a random act of kindness,” Courtney says.

Our program inspires employees to improve their overall wellness and change their behaviors long-term.

“We just seem to have a lot more people paying more attention to their health and behaviors, making small changes that lead to bigger results,” Susan says.

Many clients enjoy seeing how their programs foster wellness for their collective staff and individual team members.

“Every year we do annual biometric screenings. One year, we had an employee attend the biometric screening for the first time and had unhealthy results, which prompted a total lifestyle overhaul. He changed his diet, increased his physical activity, and at the end of the program year, he was first place on the company leaderboard with most points earned,” John says.

“Our employees have quit smoking, lost weight, and increased activity levels,” he adds. “Additionally, the wellness program has brought a level of camaraderie to the organization through company challenges or contests. Through group activities such as 14er mountain climbs, MS150 bike rides and more, our employees are challenging themselves to push their physical and mental boundaries to overcome things they didn’t think that they could accomplish.”

What now?