A Two-Way Street: How clients and vendors can work together to improve employee wellness (CASE STUDY

In my previous case study article, I revealed how we increased employee wellness program participation for a large government agency by 69% in just a few years. 

While there were many key action steps that contributed to our success, including the creation of consistent, congruous program offerings across 5 locations, what guaranteed our success was the attitude of our client. 

In many large companies, and in government agencies in particular, management adopts an attitude that says "We've always done things a certain way, and your job is to fit into our pre-set paradigm."

This is all fine and good, of course - if in fact, the ways things have always been done is helping you meet your current goals. 

But for companies dissatisfied with their ROI on employee wellness programs, adopting a spirit of open-mindedness and innovation is crucial to lasting change.

Happily, our client realized this and gave us the freedom to innovate at will. In turn, we took it upon ourselves to go above and beyond the requirements of our contract and provide massive value to our client and their employees. 

When bringing in a professional to optimize your employee wellness programs, simply follow the steps my client took: 

• Vet your contractors and make sure you're working with someone who is experienced and has a proven track record of success in the area of employee wellness. 
• Trust that they know what they are doing and give them the freedom to execute plans based on proven techniques and outcomes. 
• Observe the fiscal benefits of creative innovation and support your vendor by getting out of their way and allowing them to problem-solve as needed. 

In return for such trust and freedom, your contractor should: 

1. Go above and beyond the parameters of your contract by creating and implementing value-adds like our Employee Healthy Living Journals.
2. Clearly demonstrate the value of their services by providing reports, data and case studies on how the implemented changes have impacted employee attitudes and participation. 
3. Create and manage a collaborative team that consists of both clients and contractors, facilitates feelings of trust and ease between all team members, and empowers leaders without making any one person the "star."
4. Develops and executes well-thought out ideas that are both beneficial and sustainable. 
5. Tackles and solves problems as they arise while freeing the client from having to put out fires. 

Our client's innovative attitude paired with our enthusiasm about that attitude resulted in measurable, positive results for both parties.  

Because we were free to implement what we thought best, wellness program attendance and employee well being enjoyed a notable increase. Because of this notable increase, the program manager received recognition and a promotion within the client organization. This promotion caused our client to give us even more freedom and flexibility in our work; an increased level of trust for us to "do our thing!" 

We shined, our client shined, and most importantly, the employees we were hired to serve were given the opportunity to truly shine. 

This case study is a best-case-scenario example of what can happen when clients and contractors work together to improve employee wellness. In fact, our experience with this company was so positive that we have nominated them for the Healthiest Employer Award. 

Is your company ready to shine?