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We reported recently (here) on ways that wellness programs can help engage employees. Now a new piece in Business Insurance emphasizes another known workplace wellness engagement trend: Rewards help.

The piece states: “Wellness programs are often plagued with low participation rates, but there may be a quick fix. A recent survey shows that nearly all employees will engage in healthy activities in exchange for a reward.”

“Ninety-one percent of employees surveyed said they would engage in healthier behaviors if they had rewards to show for it — even if they had a hefty salary.”

And there's a breakdown by age — Rewards seem even more effective with younger employees: ” 98% of employees under age 35 said rewards were a big motivator, while 85% of employees over 55 said rewards would get them moving.”

Also interesting: The more employees see other employees or their direct managers involved, the more motivated individual employees were in getting involved in their wellness programs. That would seem to indicate almost a “network effect,” where the employee engagement begets more employee engagement.

Finally, the report indicates that personalization of wellness programs remains key. Ensuring that programs are directly relatable to employees goes a long way towards helping them engage.