Most employers say that weak employee engagement is the biggest obstacle to changing their employees’ health risk behavior, according to a white paper by Colonial Life. Just offering a wellness program and expecting a majority of employees to participate is prone to failure, said Steve Bygott of Colonial Life. More than half of workers say they don’t know enough about their company’s wellness programs to participate. A Colonial Life survey found that 52% of workers whose employers offer wellness programs are only somewhat or not at all knowledgeable about them. However, 57% of employers believe their employees have a good understanding of the health and wellness programs offered and how to participate, but only 41% of employees agree.
Ninety-six percent of employees who met with a benefit counselor individually say it improved their understanding of benefit and 98% said the interaction was important.
The complete white paper is available in Colonial Life’s online newsroom at ColonialLife.com.
