Data emerging at last week’s Midwest Business Group on Health conference will enhance employers’ understanding of how to better engage workers in health and wellness programs.
The information comes from the MBGH 2010 Employee Focus Group Research, conducted to identify the triggers and barriers for engaging employees in health benefits and improving and managing their health.
Group leaders say the data suggest employers may want to rethink their approach to engaging employees and dependents. What is needed, in their interpretation, is an entire spectrum of support on a patient’s health team – including the physician as the foundation, family, employer, health plan and health coach.
A number of strategy elements may require rethinking in view of the new data points. They indicate, for example, that despite assurances of HIPAA protections, 21% of employees say they won’t participate in company-sponsored wellness programs because they are not sure what the employer will do with their information.
The focus group is the latest MBGH research initiative over the last four years “to dive deeper into the issues that impact the decisions not only to participate, but to maintain involvement in prevention and health management programs offered by employers,” said Larry Boress, president and CEO, MBGH. “By better understanding the employees’ perspectives on health care and health benefits, employers can restructure the design, communication and delivery of benefits, wellness incentives and health management activities.”
Among other observations from the focus group:
• Employees need the confidence to take action and the conviction along with the tools, resources and support to get started.
• Employers need to focus on gaining employee trust which leads the list as a top barrier to participation in worksite health programs.
• Employees believe the most credible source for health information is their doctor. Those with chronic conditions will often have the most involvement with a “health coach,” who is viewed as an extension of the employer, rather than their doctor.
• Co-workers are a major influencer for employees to become involved in worksite programs, but senior management can also be a strong influencer if company morale is high.
• Employees want clear and concise communications on coverage, cost, choice and benefit changes. Employers can support employee efforts through personalizing communications and marketing efforts that are focused on the health status and readiness to change of the individual, as well as reaching out to the family by providing incentives, information and tools to help the person improve their health.
• Overall, employees are open to the use of incentives and disincentives, but perceive incentives as more powerful than disincentives in changing behavior. Ultimately, the fear of pain/risk aversion is a greater motivator to change than incentives or disincentives.
• People need to believe they can achieve change on their own – self-esteem and key support systems are critical elements.
• Employees prefer activities that are personalized, targeted to their specific needs and support work/life balance. Employers need to move beyond traditional programs that focus only on health risk factors.
This research also builds on four years of MBGH’s Value-Based Benefits Research series which focused on employers’ readiness to adopt value-based benefit design (VBD) strategies – higher quality care at a lower cost, and employee views and reactions to employer-sponsored VBD, use of incentives and participation in wellness activities.
More than 170 participants from MBGH member employers, spouses, health coaches and physicians participated in focus groups and surveys. The project was sponsored by Merck and Novartis. The ROC Group, a Chicago-based benefits communication firm, assisted in developing and conducting focus groups.
Results were presented during MBGH's 30th annual conference, May 6-7 in Chicago. The organization has more than 100 members, representing over 3 million lives, spending more than $3 billion on health care benefits annually. More information is available at www.mbgh.org.
