Why Gamification is Taking Over Wellness Programs

A Presentation by

WELLNESSPROGRAMS

IS TAKING OVERWHY GAMIFICATION

Chapter 1Why Wellness Programs Need Gamification YOUR

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More companies are employing gamified wellness programs than ever before.

73% of employers have a health engagement strategy for their employees

63% are employing game elements with their programs

70 of the top 100 companies in the U.S. are adding Gamification to their wellness programs

WHY?Gamification increases engagement, and wellness programs improve health.

The U.S. currently spends 17% of its Gross Domestic Product on Healthcare, one of the highest percentages in the world1 , not to mention…

Sources: 1: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.TOTL.ZS2:http://www.rwjf.org/en/topics/rwjf-topic-areas/prevention.html

75%of US health spendinggoes to treatingchronic conditions

7 in 10deaths in the US eachyear are caused bychronic conditions

$10a person per yearinvested in preventioncould save billions

ENTER: WELLNESS PROGRAMS

This is a failure of the system. Many chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease are largely preventable. Healthier habits are a way to reverse this growing trend.

Employers should implement wellness programs because...

A majority of Americans will receive insurance through their employers by 2016.

Source:http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/video/inplay/everything-to-know-about-obamacarein-2-minutes/2013/10/04/469ae328-26d5-11e3-b3e9-d97fb087acd6_video.html

Research estimates that employers can create excellent ROI by saving up to

$3 on their healthcare costs

for

every $1 spent on employee wellness programs.

Source: http://www.ifebp.org/AboutUs/PressRoom/Releases/Wellness+Programs+Benefit+the+Bottom+Line.htm

There’s financial incentive

There’s also government incentive

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act allows employers to provide a 20% discount on premi-ums to employees who meet certain criteria for staying healthy and preventing disease.

The ACA increases this discount to 30% for group health plans.

Source: http://www.nciom.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/PR_Provisions_Full.pdf.

Employers should also care about wellness programs because employees like them.

Numbers Don’t Lie

66% of employees who were involved in at-work wellness programs were extremely or very satisfied with their group employee benefits

67% of employees engaged in worksite wellness believed their employer takes care of them

Source: http://www.corpsyn.com/knowledgecenter/articles/gamification.html#.Uv5DWvldU6U

87% of job candidates consider wellness pro-grams when choosing an employer

So, offering employees wellness programs makes them happier.

And when employees partici-pate in wellness programs, it saves companies money.

But, traditional wellness pro-grams have problems...

> Lack of milestones

> No positive reinforcement

> No social encouragement

Source: http://www.infosys.com/infosys-labs/publications/Documents/gamification/how-to-make-healthcare-wellness-programs-more-effective.pdf

DOWNWARD CHART

...that lead to:low motivation and low engagement rates

So, how do companies make the most of their wellness programs?

GAMIFICATION

Chapter 2Case Studies

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Ochsner + Virgin HealthMiles

Ochsner operates seven hospitals and 35 clinics in south-eastern Louisiana

Virgin HealthMiles is a gamification department of the Virgin Group

Program1) Employees track daily steps with a pedometer and upload them to an electronic journal

2) An in-office kiosk also lets employees measure and track their body fat percentage, weight and blood pressure

3) Employees progress through Rewards levels and earn either retail credit or cash

ResultsAfter one year, over 50% of employees had reached Rewards Level 3 and received a discount on their premiums

Having steadily risen for years, Ochsner’s insurance claims fell by 5%

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/business/28unbox.html?ref=business&_r=0

St. Lawrence College + Keas

One of Ontario’s leading com-munity colleges, with a stu-dent population of 6,700

Keas is a California-based gamification vendor that designs corporate wellness programs

Program1) Employees formed teams that were ranked on a public leaderboard

2) Each week participants would set three wellness goals to achieve, which they could share with their teammates on Keas’s social media feed

3) Completed tasks received points and moved teams up the leaderboard

Results 280 of 324 registered participants lost weight

82% said Keas made them feel more positive about working for St. Lawrence

88% said Keas’s platform improved teamwork and collaboration

38% reported a reduction in their stress levels

Source: http://info.keas.com/rs/keas/images/Keas-CS-St-Lawrence.pdf

Blue Shield: Wellvolution

Blue Shield of California is a non-profit health insurer

Wellvolution is Blue Shield’s internal wellnessinitiative

Program1) Employees were assigned challenges and givenpoints for completing them. These points could be redeemed for rewards

2) Employees were encouraged to share theirresults and rewards on social media

ResultsEmployee smoking has decreased by 50%

Employee hypertension has decreased by 66%

Employees are paying a combined $3 million less per year in insurance premiums

More Results Blue Shield’s disability claims have decreased by 20% among participating employees (com-pared with a 60% increase for non participating)

Blue Shield estimated an ROI of $3 : $1 spent

60% increase in employee participation in well-ness programs

Source: https://www.blueshieldca.com/sites/premier-accounts/total-health/wellvolution.sp

Implementing gamification into wellness programs benefits both employees and employers.

Chapter 3Best Practices

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Consider this:> What will motivate your employees?

> How can I make the entire group involved?

> Which rewards make the most sense?

> What type of feedback do employees want?

Be wary of extrinsic motivation Rewarding employees with financial incentives can work in the beginning phases, but without additional incentives the effectiveness of cash or discounts will fade.

Use Intrinsic MotivationUse game elements to build a connection between your employees and their desire to improve them-selves. This way their focus remains on their internal drive rather than purely cash rewards.

Build a Community> Encourage employees to talk about their fitness goals

> Create group activities that promote interaction after work

Find the optimal challenge Humans need a balance between competence and challenge to stay engaged.

Make sure your wellness program features gamified elements for all levels of users.

Make feedback Positive & TimelyAs soon as employees complete an activity and log their progress, offer them rewards. This instant feedback builds a feedback loop and lays the foundation for habit-forming behavior.

Plan for CheatersWearable technology like FitBit helps keep employees honest, so no one can log progress or claim rewards for activities they didn’t complete.

Above all... MAKE IT FUN

Progress: Complete!

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Learn more about gamification at TechnologyAdvice.com