Wellness Incentives on the Rise

There’s a lot of buzz in the blogosphere about new research showing a jump in the number of companies offering employees incentives for health and wellness in the last year, from 62 to 71 percent.

The study, from the Washington-based ERISA Industry Committee, National Association of Manufacturers and incentive technology provider IncentOne, details a number of fascinating statistics about incentives, including the fact that gift cards are now the most popular type of incentive, used by 28 percent of employers. Number two is insurance premium reductions, used by 26 percent of employers—down significantly from 41 percent last year, when it held the top spot.

According to researchers, this flipping and flopping indicates that employers have yet to identify the most effective type of wellness incentive--and that awareness about HIPAA regulations on incentives may be having an impact. [Click here for our previous posts on HIPAA regs and wellness. It's getting pretty complicated.]

In the meantime, you can sign up to receive a copy of the full wellness incentives report at IncentOne.