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NPR reports that a recent study found that “promising workers lower health insurance premiums for losing weight did nothing to help them take off the pounds.” So does that mean that workplace incentive programs don't work?

Of course note. However, it might mean that more thought needs to be given to the way incentives are structured.

Dr. Mitesh Patel, assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, was the study's lead author. Said Patel: “”Our study showed that the incentive is not what motivated people, at least in this design.”

So what type of incentive design might have driven better outcomes? The piece continues:

“This study shows that how incentive programs are designed can make a big difference in how effective they are at changing behavior, Patel said.”

“The incentives may have failed for a number of reasons, he said. The $550 premium discount may not have been large enough. Bundling the financial reward into the insurance premium on a paycheck rather than making a separate payment to the worker may have affected how it was perceived. Other details — such as the fact that participants weighed themselves at work rather than at home — may have been off-putting to some participants.”

Another thought involves the question of timing: Should employer plans pay employees only once they meet the defined goal… or along the way?

Added Patel: “Someone should be encouraged along the way. We've found from studies that if you want to motivate people, they need regular feedback.”