Online social media games may be effective tools to engage employees in improving their health, making them a useful component or basis for wellness programs.
Experts note that many employees are obese, eating poorly and suffering from a lack of rest, among other problems. All of these issues can lead to fatigue, stress and decreased productivity. Between these trends and inertia, it may be difficult to motivate employees to begin participating in wellness plans. HR professionals often find that workers do not want to get involved, one expert recently stated at the Society for Human Resource Management's annual conference.
He noted that his company used an online social media game that rewards employees for going on walks, eating healthily, sleeping more and engaging in other healthy behaviors. It also encourages more direct action, such as taking health quizzes or risk assessments, or using a break from work to exercise.
To avoid accidentally causing employees to waste time during the workday, points can only be earned for 15 minutes each day and HR personnel can monitor participation in the game to ensure workers are not losing productive time to the pursuit. When designing wellness programs and tools, many companies integrate them into employee benefit offerings to help link health directly to employees' costs as an incentive.
