Speaker Q&A Directory

How Well-Being Drives Health and Productivity Outcomes
– A two-minute preview of what you'll hear at the Benefits Forum & Expo in Boca Raton, Fla.

Employee have a lot of trouble engaging in traditional wellness programs, says Henry Albrecht, CEO of Bellevue, Wash.-based Limeaid. Most programs antagonize employees because they treat people like “a bundle of health risks,” he says. Albrecht shares strategies for greater employee engagement through treating them like human beings, not health risk assessment numbers.

Q: Why do you think traditional wellness programs are flawed?

A: They measure things that are not particularly relevant to people, like body-mass index and LDL cholesterol. Those are important medical numbers, but they’re not things people use to make active decisions.

Q: What kind of information motivates people to change?

A: We’re going to share some data about what we call “well-being factors.” These are things like resilience, sleep, and belief in your abilities. How energized do you feel when you show up for work? Are your relationships positive? Do you believe in your company? 

Q: How do you measure these factors?

A: We take biometric screenings, which are a staple of traditional wellness plans. But we also administer a self-report assessment to determine a baseline well-being score, which is 10 times better at predicting productivity than a health risk assessment. We use the results to create wellness plan incentives based on behaviors the employer wants to reward.

Q: Can you give examples?

A: REI, the outdoor retailer, is one of our clients. They created a work culture that not only supports health and wellness but also the HR and corporate strategy. For example, their “Motorless Mania” event challenged employees to bike to work. Other employers challenge workers to do things like take 20 minutes to de-stress on 20 consecutive days. We expect 75% assessment completion for these programs and between 25% to 50% ongoing engagement.

Q: How important are well-being factors to employers?

A: Very important. We’re seeing some employers hire people by going to Girl Scout walk-a-thons. The people who attend those events have an orientation toward giving to others. They’re team players. They’re in decent shape. Those are the types of traits we measure.

To learn more, please join us at the 5th Annual Benefits Forum & Expo, September 26-28, 2010 in Boca Raton, Fla.
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