Benefits enrollment season is here and before long, your employer will send you a package outlining your health care options for the coming year.
With higher premiums and fewer plan options on the way, you can also expect to see better rewards for healthy behavior. Companies have learned that incentives must be meaningful to be effective, says Richard Chaifetz, CEO of ComPsych, which provides employee assistance services. Giving an employee $100 to take a health-risk assessment “is not going to work,” Chaifetz says. Instead, companies are giving workers extra vacation days, or reducing their deductibles, after they’ve met certain goals.
And to make sure employees stick to their goals, some companies have taken steps to reduce temptation, such as improving the offerings in their vending machines, he says. “You’ve got to be consistent,” Chaifetz says. “You can’t have vending machines full of garbage and tell your people you want them to eat healthy.”
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