I paused when I first read an article in the New York Times that said some companies use financial incentives to motivate employees to attend corporate wellness programs.

I get it. Offer reduced insurance policies to those who participate, and impose penalties to those who don’t.

Money incentivizes. Always. The ‘bottom line’ matters to us.

But does it matter most over the long haul? Are savings on insurance premiums going to be the variable that keeps employees engaged in the get-healthy game? Can companies save more, and gain more over the long-haul if employees choose to participate because of the value they derive beyond just financial incentives?

The problem with incentives is they smell of company interests, not employee wellbeing and happiness. So, dangling the carrot, or exacting ‘the stick’ will no doubt excite employees initially, but over the long term, will it keep them invested? And if not, what’s the loss?

With health care costs sky rocketing, companies can no longer ignore the impact a sick workforce has on company growth, nor the benefits a wellness program could make. Experience and research offer three compelling considerations when implementing corporate wellness programs:

Connect with your employees

Employees who feel seen, heard and valued join in and get involved in wellness programs, even those who may feel intimidated and ‘not ready’ initially. Connecting with employees on a personal level is the sure-shot way to promote fully-vested, even fully-passionate buy-in to wellness programs.

Everyone loves to feel connected and connection fosters ‘we are all in this together’ team Spirit.

What difference would it make for your company if every employee brought the very best of themselves to their work everyday?

Cultivate genuine interest for employees and their health and well-being, and watch game-face turn on to program initiatives, with the added benefits of a health and wellbeing contributing to company bottom line. Because you connected with them. Because they trust you.

And the win? Company-wide growth and productivity for the business and employees alike.

Question ideas about healthy lifestyle habits.

Garnering employee buy-in is not enough. The years of indulgence are glamorized and continue to linger in day-to-day practice, especially for Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, which is in many ways the antithesis of a healthy lifestyle.

Add the nuances of the modern lifestyle, like fast-food nation, immediate gratification, the pull of family and memory and what ‘everyone else is doing,’ it’s no wonder many find the cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle difficult to develop. Restraint and self-discipline land as ridiculous.

For employees to bring the very best of themselves to their work everyday, to increase productivity and foster creativity, there’s got to be a mental shift, a questioning around how we think about healthy lifestyle habits, how we live our lives and how we care for our body.

James Allen said in his timeless classic As a Man Thinketh, “A man is literally what he thinks.” A wellness program falls short if it does not guide employees to questioning what they think about health and wellbeing.

Encourage reconnection to self and self-awareness.

Personalized and detailed diets plans. Individualized fitness programs. Reduced premiums. All are super awesome in encouraging health and wellness in the work place and life, but the grandest buy-in to corporate wellness initiatives helps employees develop self-awareness.

While we weigh in how our time is better spent in dollars earned, we’ve become disconnected from the very simple day to day things that ground us down, beyond all the achieving.

Mindfulness and meditation are the tools. Science shows that by integrating mindfulness and meditation techniques into corporate wellness programs, mental clarity and productivity increase, focus and concentration expand, creativity and innovation grow.

Mindfulness promotes self-awareness. Self awareness promotes healthier choices.

Mindfulness training is essential in helping employees reconnect with themselves, to make smarter choices about health and wellbeing for greater physical, emotional and mental health.

Successful corporate wellness programs remember,

1. It’s about the genuine wellbeing of employees, not just the bottom line.
2. To explore habituated ways of thinking about doing things, to make way for new healthy lifestyle habits.
3. Encourage reconnection to self and self awareness.

With all three points in place, you’re sure to offer a corporate wellness program that does work, a program that assures the results you most want, an office buzzing with peak potential and productivity, high-energy, increased focus and booming creativity!

“Did you take care of business, did you do the work?”

When my son Christopher was young, I would say to him when he came to me wanting something, anything, really, “Did you take care of business, did you do the work?”

When my student Lauren’s mother came to me pleading to excuse Lauren from delivering the required presentation, I asked, “How will that help her prepare for the opportunities life will offer her?”

As sweet as ‘easy street sounds,’ we get the gold star in life when we do the work.

When we do what we said we’d do, every single day.

When we challenge ourselves beyond what feels comfortable, because new things always feel uncomfortable at first.

When my client Genevieve asked me if she could drink “just one cup of coffee” every morning, rather than the typical 3 or more throughout the day, I said, “you can do anything you want, but what do you want more — that cup of coffee, or the benefits of healing your digestive system?”

When we set out to heal our body from the ravages of the modern lifestyle, from anywhere in between common allergies and persistent digestive problems, to autoimmunity, diabetes and chronic health concerns, the game is always the same.

Will you do the necessary work required to create the result you want?

As with my son, my former student Lauren, and my client Genevieve, it all comes down to doing the work.

And it doesn’t have to be hard.

You start with one.

One goal.

One objective.

One result.

And most importantly, one action.

You choose one action you need to make to get you closer to achieving that goal, objective and result you want. When you’ve mastered that one step, choose another step.

And another.

And another.

My son learned that if he wanted that new pair of pants or shirt, he needed to scour the bathroom every Tuesday and Friday.

Lauren learned that to achieve the grade she wanted she had to do the required presentation.

Genevieve learned that to heal her digestive system she needed to remove coffee from her diet for a healing interim.

What is the one thing you could do to get you closer to your goal, your objective, your one-prized result … and more importantly, then on to all the rewards that achievement offers?

Please share your thoughts below in the comments section. I'd love to hear what you think about this post and let me know - Did you take care of business?

If you'd like a tool to help you choose that first powerful action, get my 7-Day mini-course, Commit to Change. It's helped hundreds of others get started too!

What If It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way?

Someone you know—maybe someone you love—will face a chronic disease.

Maybe it’s already you.

It feels inevitable, doesn’t it? Like your genes hold all the power. If your grandmother and mother had it, so will you.

But that’s not entirely true.

Yes, your genes matter. But they’re not the whole story. Epigenetics tells us that while genes may set the stage, your choices decide the outcome.

Your Genes Aren’t Your Destiny

Epigenetics is the science of how your environment influences your DNA. It shows that what you eat, how you move, and even how you think can turn genes on or off.

The research is clear:

• Nourishing, live foods give your cells what they need to thrive and keep mutated genes quiet.
• Processed, inflammatory foods disrupt your system, setting off a cascade of biochemical imbalances that cause symptoms.
• Clearing toxins lightens the load on your body, freeing it to do what it’s built to do: repair, detox, and heal.
• How you live—how you manage stress, what you eat, and your choices—determines whether your body stays in balance or struggles to keep up.

Runs in the Family? Not So Fast.

You were not born a victim. You have a choice. You always have.

You may not control the genes you inherit, but you control what you do next. Some might debate the science, but isn’t the possibility of choice better than no choice at all?

You’re not trapped by your DNA. You’re empowered by your decisions.

Let’s Rewrite the Story Together

If you or someone you care about is struggling with chronic illness—or just doesn’t feel their best—it’s time to start fresh.

Email me at carol@carol-egan.com. Let’s explore how simple, healing choices can transform your life.