Evolution of PCi’s Wellness Program

We know that wellness programs benefit everyone, but it is more than research to us. It is experience. We have made a commitment to wellness and have more than seen our return on investment with our own PCi Wellness Program.

PCi Wellness Program

The PCi Wellness Program has evolved over the years. When we first began, we gave our employees a wellness kit. The kit included a duffel bag, pedometer and water bottle. It was our desire to equip each team member with items to increase activity and water consumption to lead to their success.

We had 100% participation!

When surveyed, PCi employees offered a variety of reasons for participating in our wellness program over the years. Answers included siting a desire to improve overall health and accountability in doing so, to be a team player, as well as hoping to attain the incentives offered.

The take away here? People desire to be healthy. And, incentives work!

Have A Plan

In the early stages of our wellness program, we put people in groups. Each group was encouraged to compete against the other to see which could get the most steps. The great news? It worked! People were increasing their activity levels. Physically, employees were experiencing healthy gains.

The bad news? Our employees weren’t fond of competing against one another. While we could say our initial program was successful for the physical aspect of wellness, it was not quite the right fit for our work culture. We had a good program but not a great one.

Evaluate and Re-evaluate

It is important to evaluate your program year to year. Is it effective? Do your employees enjoy participating? If the answer is no to either of those questions, you should make changes accordingly.

Try Different Things Until You Find The Right Fit

Over time we tried several things to find the best fit for our staff. One year we offered paying for a portion of a gym membership. Another year we took all the employees weekly to a yoga class for the summer. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Be creative! If you find one thing doesn’t work, try something else.

One thing we knew that was working? Tracking individual’s steps to create an awareness of activity level as well as provide measurable data. We did, however, overtime switch the technology device. We gave everyone a fit-bit rather than a pedometer. Both devices are good choices, but the fit bit seemed like a better option for our employees. Don’t be afraid to explore technology.

For the first 8 weeks after receiving the fit bits, we asked everyone to walk 5000 steps a day, increasing to 10,000 steps per day for the remainder of the tracking period. The fit-bit gave us the opportunity to peak at everyone’s progress for a little friendly competition. (Yes, we tried it again.) While we did have success, we found that, once again, our employees did not like the competition against each other.

Since that time, we have continued to do some variation of turning in steps. At the end of the time period (generally 3 months) each employee who participates, gets a reward. (One year we even offered a $100 Amazon Gift Card.)

Incentives matter in a successful wellness program!

Need some inspiration? Browse our online ideas catalog or contact us. We can help you find the product that fits.

Think outside of the box!

Sometimes it is not what your employees can attain, but what you offer them! For quite some time we have offered personal massages and mindfulness sessions monthly on site during work hours.

Another Evolution to PCi Wellness Program- Walk Across America

Last year our goal was to walk across America!

Everyone did great! We didn’t quite make it coast to coast, but it was fun to see our collaborative progress.  We are considering trying the trek again.

Our ultimate goal each year is to get people active which in turn helps to keep them just a little healthier. 

Ongoing Wellness

Remember that wellness is multi-dimensional. Supporting employees’ well being is important. Do you encourage employees to take vacation days? What does your bereavement policy communicate? Review your policies and expectations (the official ones AND the unwritten ones that are communicated by managers, colleagues- your overall culture).

Not sure where to start?

We can help. We will put our decades of industry experience and our personal experience with wellness programs to work for you!