Many trainers and instructional designers operate under the
umbrella of a human resources team, and as such should always be looking to
support HR initiatives. One initiative
that is growing in popularity as companies look for ways to reduce the costs of
health insurance for their workforce are employee wellness plans. How can you contribute to an employee wellness
plan in a meaningful, measurable way?
One idea by John Andrews and Ted Rubin I recently came across can really have a huge impact not only on your company’s bottom-line, but in your employees’ (i.e. customers) waistlines. Here’s the thought, Nike has gamified fitness with its Nike+ Fuel Band, Nike+ Connect and accompanying iPhone app (Android app coming soon)- why don’t you set up a little friendly competition in your workplace with badges or prizes for your customers reaching fitness milestones? The milestones could be as simple as number of pounds lost, inches off the waistline, or simply consecutive days meeting a fitness goal. You could even have teams within your company competing for prizes. Also, don’t limit yourself to Nike’s product line if your company is more of an Android shop. There are competing products already on the market such as fitbit, JAWBONE’s Up product, LarkLife, Amiigo, and other activity tracking wearables are entering this space as well.
Yes, this initiative will require an initial investment in your employees but it pales in comparison to the social learning that will take place once your employees’ are more aware of the impact of their daily habits. Measured properly, you may even be able to track cost savings in conjunction with your group benefits coordinator on the HR team. This is a really powerful social learning strategy which can pay big dividends to your company and you should seriously consider bring it up at your next human resources meeting.
Alex is a co-founder and Managing Member of Collabor8 Learning, LLC, an instructional design and performance management consultancy. His firm collaborates with organizations to enhance the way they develop and train their people. To learn more about Collabor8 Learning, click here.
Alex can be reached at 786-512-1069, alex@collabor8learning.com or via Twitter@collabor8alex.