Employee Wellness Newsletter : Incentives can be used to broaden participation rates, help with completion or attendance at programs, and to help individuals shift or adhere to healthy lifestyles. The purpose of the incentive is to encourage workers to adopt beneficial behaviors or maintain an existing beneficial behavior. Everyone who achieves a intention or maintains a behavior ought to receive something. Many organizations also support rewards and incentives merely for participating in programs.

Stay away from being the “best” or doing the “most.” Encouraging staff members to be the best or doing the most promotes excessive behavior, discourages others, and creates elitism. The best designed incentive programs are ones which are based on achieving objectives that are attainable by most individuals. Recognition, acknowledgment by top management, or special privileges are examples of excellent intangible incentives and rewards.

Incentive ideas:

• Free or Low-Cost:
   o Certificates
   o Movie passes
   o Recognition in employee newsletter
   o Mugs
   o Water bottles
   o Commendation from management
   o T-shirts
   o Hats

• Moderate Cost:
   o Entertainment tickets
   o Sweatshirts
   o Waist packs
   o Subscriptions to health magazines
   o Health and fitness books
   o Videos

• High Cost:
   o Week-end getaways
   o Dinner for two
   o Clocks
   o Watches

• Others:
   o Cash
   o Gift certificates