Recently, I participated in my company’s 100-Day Dash, a friendly competition designed to encourage employees to take more steps – as individuals and as teams – over a 100-day period.

I take my fitness pretty seriously, so this was a competition I really enjoyed. We had 12,000 employees sign up for the Dash, a solid number for the competition’s sophomore year.

The Dash got people to move. Anytime you get people to move, it’s good for their health, both physically and mentally. And it leads to a more productive workforce. In today’s workplace, where many of us have sedentaryroles, this is not an easy thing to accomplish.

While I was proud of where my team finished, I was somewhat saddened when the Dash ended because I truly missed how much the competition had positively influenced our culture. Employees would walk into meetings asking people how many steps they had taken that day, how many steps they averaged on a daily basis, or where they stood on the leaderboard.

However, my initial reaction led me to ponder a bigger question: How can you stimulate a change in culture that can lead to sustainable lifestyle improvements?

Driving a Healthier Workforce

As the leader of a health company, I recognize that a healthy workforce is vital to productivity. I know firsthand that a highly engaging wellness program is reflective of a culture that helps, and makes it easier, for employees to pursue a healthier lifestyle.

The Dash was widely embraced because it challenged employees to really question their daily routines: Should I walk to lunch rather than drive? Do I have time to take the stairs instead of the elevator? How many steps could I do after dinner? If I had a busy day at the office, which was pretty much every day during the Dash, I knew that I had my step work ahead of me when I left work.

Humana has programs that reward employees for taking 10,000 steps a day. However, there is no replacing the camaraderie that comes from a friendly competition that touches, and unites, all aspects of the company, and has a positive impact on the culture.

For wellness programs to truly make an impact on the health of a workforce, they have to start with the culture. Companies of all sizes must create an environment that encourages associates, and makes it convenient for them, to keep moving. In turn, it’s our responsibility as leaders to constantly remind employees of ways to stay engaged.

Ask Yourself the Tough Questions

This would normally be the time to recommend some specific types of actions you should take, but no two companies have the same culture or the same needs. Instead, it’s about taking the time to ask yourself some very specific questions – with a little context – that get to the heart of the matter:

• Are you leading by example? We all know that many employees follow the boss’s lead. If he/she is a workaholic who hardly ever takes a break, we can assume employees are following this unhealthy example. As leaders, we must walk the walk. If we want people to live a healthier style, we must model it ourselves.
• Are you making it easy for employees to move? Is your wellness program designed to support their efforts to live a healthier lifestyle – stand instead of sit, take the stairs? When you get people to move, it improves their health. Whether it’s a change of scenery gained by walking outside and getting some fresh air, the more people move, the better their health will be.
• Are you rewarding your associates? As human beings, we’re driven to compete in many different aspects of life. And we tend to put forward our best effort when we are rewarded for doing so. Are you rewarding your employees for the actions they’re taking to improve their health? Whether it’s a big prize or something as small as being at the top of a leaderboard, can you say you’re recognizing and rewarding good choices?
• Is it fun and ‘social’ for associates? Do you find it fun? Chances are that if you don’t, your participation will reflect it. If your employees don’t find it fun, it won’t be embraced. Keep it simple. Social media is also important. The more people share what they’re doing online through communities, the more they encourage, and potentially inspire, others to do so.
• Can this become a lifestyle? If you want employees to move from a sedentary environment to one that supports activity, it needs to be sustainable over time to achieve real results. Good things, like a lifestyle change, take time and constant encouragement.

Stay Engaged

You can’t just say you have a wellness program and leave it to employees to engage via self-service. The program needs to be nurtured to help motivate employees to participate. Motivation and reward must be frequent.

While the measurement of steps through the use of pedometers is a simple way to gauge a person’s activity, steps are only a part of building a healthier workforce. Good activity can be thrown out the window when poor choices are made about breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s our responsibility to provide employees with the education, and convenient options, to make healthier choices.

We’re all striving towards the same goal: a healthier American workforce. Businesses need a healthy workforce if they are to increase their productivity. In order for this to happen, the culture must provide an environment that gets people to move and is supportive and rewarding of good decision-making about their health.

Results from wellness programs may take time, but they’re worth the wait. As leaders, we must set the example that inspires others. If we want our employees to move, we must – pun intended – not only take the first step, but keep the momentum going.