Three Reasons Outcome-Based Wellness Programs Don’t Work

Despite outcome-based wellness programs quickly losing popularity, some employers persist in perpetrating these outdated, punitive, and disengaging programs. We need to stop punishing people and start caring for them. Lasting behavioral change can only be achieved through whole-person support, an organization that cares, and an invitation to improve.

Below are three reasons these outcome-based wellness programs don’t work.

Not Real Wellness Programs

Outcome-based programs in their simplest form are incentive strategies designed to force behavior change. When we do not address all the externalities that are causing biometric issues, we fail to holistically address the real underlying problems. Furthermore, we send powerfully negative messages that destroy employee trust in the organization, kill motivation, and act as a form of shaming.

How would it feel if your spouse approached you with the comment, “Hey honey! I noticed your BMI is high based on your recent screening results. Before I can take you out for dinner and a movie, you need to enroll in a BMI-reduction program, talk to a health coach, and demonstrate you are improving your numbers”? That relationship wouldn’t last long. In today’s tight labor market, can we really afford to send such alienating messages to our workforce?

Feels Like a Punishment

Have you ever experienced an employee benefit that was supposed to help employees but feels more like a punishment? When we offer outcome-based wellness programs, we are telling our employees that they have a problem they need to fix and we are going to punish them, or at the least withhold the reward, until they fix it.

I was sent to my room as a child for bad behavior and was only allowed out when I agreed to improve. Outcome-based programs are the equivalent. We tell our employees, “You must change your behavior before you can get a reward.”  

No Statistical Impact

Lastly, there is no statistical difference between outcome-based programs and non-outcome-based programs according to a study of 48 employers. The study concluded, “...employers cannot assume that outcome-based incentives will result in either increased program participation or greater achievement of health improvement targets than participation-based incentives.”1. The 80s called and they want their outcome-based wellness programs back.

Conclusion

If I were to push your shoulder, your first impulse would be to push back. Next, I might get a fist in the jaw. Our instinct when someone pushes on us is to push back against the force being applied. Your employees will resist as you push on them to change their behavior. If you are offering an outcome-based program, you are doing more harm to company culture, employee morale, and your employees’ sense of well-being than you realize. It is time to end the shaming approach and try the care approach. As you do, you will achieve the kinds of real results that increase productivity, enhance well-being, improve business results, and create a great place to work.

1. J Occup Environ Med. 2017 Mar; 59(3): 304–312. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5333725/ (accessed 4.30.2019)