Our experience in the corporate gifting industry has shown us just how important corporate wellness is. 

In this post, we’re not going to focus on corporate gifting; instead, we are looking at corporate wellness programs, what they are, and why they’re important. 

Plus, we’re discussing some of the most successful corporate wellness programs from companies you already know including Netflix, Microsoft, and Google.

Read through the whole piece or click any of the links below to jump to a specific section.

Table of Contents

What is a Corporate Wellness Program?

Why are Corporate Wellness Programs Important?

The 5 Best Corporate Wellness Programs

Top 8 Best Corporate Wellness Companies

What is a Corporate Wellness Program?

Corporate wellness programs, also known as workplace wellness and wellbeing programs, are plans that are designed to promote employee wellness and encourage a corporate culture of physical and mental health. 

What’s more, employee wellness programs are created to holistically support employee wellbeing while boosting productivity, engagement, and retention. 

Companies using wellness services to establish healthy habits are generally looking to create long-term relationships with their employees and naturally increase employee engagement. 

Before we get into why corporate wellness schemes are important we need to talk about what’s usually included in such schemes. 

Corporate wellness programs usually focus on:

• Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working models to facilitate remote work where appropriate
• Making sure that employees have a good work/life balance
• Physical and mental health with stress management sessions
• Exercise and physical activities
• Nutrition and balanced diet
• Worksite development
• Healthcare assessments, such as biometric screening
• Health coaching to promote healthier living and minimize health costs

Let’s get to why wellness programs matter. 

Why are Corporate Wellness Programs Important?

A RAND research report from 2013 that was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services focused on workspace wellness programs. 

The report showed that over 50% of all employers in the US offered some sort of wellness program. 

That being said, corporate wellness schemes are not a new concept within companies and human resources (HR) departments. 

Companies and employers seem to have acknowledged the significance of supporting their employees with a well-structured corporate wellness scheme, and it dates back decades. 

In fact, giant multinational company Johnson & Johnson introduced their LIVE FOR LIFE® Program several decades ago, back in 1979, with the purpose of making their employees “the healthiest in the world”.

In an attempt to outline the main reasons why corporate wellness programs are important, the following reasons are the most important:

• Boost employee productivity
• Boost employee morale
• Employers show appreciation and support
• Decrease employee turnover and churn
• Reduce healthcare costs
• Decrease absenteeism

Wanna see some inspiring examples? Keep reading!

The 5 Best Corporate Wellness Programs 

As promised, in this section of our post we’re going to show you five amazing corporate wellness programs from huge companies that actively put emphasis on employee wellness. 

Here’s the first example. 

Example #1: Microsoft

Our first example is a company you most likely already know: Microsoft. 

The company is known for focusing on empowering its employees in any way it can. 

It puts emphasis on supporting its employees’ goals, thus building strong and meaningful relationships between the company and its employees. 

Microsoft wellness schemes involve personal growth and development opportunities, paid family leave, as well as regular promotion opportunities, among other benefits. 

Author’s Note: Check out our list of 11 Employee benefits all HR professionals should know to find out more about what kind of benefits are worth investing in.  

Its corporate wellness solution is generally all about making employees feel appreciated and empowered with the support of the business. 

Moving on to the next one.

Example #2: Netflix

The second example comes from the subscription streaming service, Netflix. 

The Netflix Culture page, a  part of which you see on the screenshot above, tells us about the company’s very interesting way of dealing with its employees. 

Its “anti-rules pro-freedom philosophy”, as they call it, is shaped by a number of original and contemporary ideas in terms of team management and company culture. 

The steps the company takes to enhance corporate wellness and employee retention and engagement are generally in relation to making employees owners of their work in general, and their working schedule, in particular. 

More specifically, Netflix offers high salaries and has established very flexible vacation and parental leave policies, among other things. 

Its corporate wellness approach is more about achieving long-term behavior change that’ll lead to its star employees taking responsibility for their work, controlling their work schedules, and avoiding the need to follow unnecessary rules that might negatively impact the business. 

Let’s get to the next example. 

Example #3: Expedia Group

Travel company Expedia Group focuses on employee health by trying to overcome any employee wellness challenges with wellness benefits that focus on active and healthy employees. 

By promoting wellness and fitness, Expedia Group boosts better health for their employees, thus increasing their overall quality of life as well as work engagement. 

Their wellness plan focuses on increasing productivity and improving work-life balance with flexible working schedules and a hybrid work from home (WFH) policy. 

Life insurance, health education, travel benefits, and sick pay are also included in the Expedia wellness scheme. 

Author’s Note: Together with a well-structured wellness program, companies can boost employee wellness and engagement with healthcare and wellness promo items.  

Moving on.

Example #4: Asana

Team-based work management software Asana is yet another company with a corporate wellness program that works. 

The company offers employees unlimited paid time off as well as a number of free activities such as yoga sessions and gym memberships to make sure employees live a balanced life with a truly active lifestyle. 

On top of that, Asana focuses on nutrition and healthy eating with freshly cooked, nutritious meals for employees working on-site. 

Last but not least, they offer coaching sessions to boost personal development, wellbeing, and to help employees be effective. 

The most important part is that Asana, like others on our list, doesn’t focus on short-term engagement, but rather tries to cultivate corporate health and bring together employees to increase satisfaction and productivity.

Below is the last inspiring corporate wellness program we have for you. 

Example #5: Google

Google couldn’t be missing from this quick list of companies that do corporate wellness right. 

The main pillars around which Google’s business wellness scheme is developed are the following:

• Health and wellness
• Financial wellbeing
• Flexibility and time off
• Family support and care  
• Community building and personal development

On top of these pillars are a number of steps and activities to allow employees to have financial, emotional, and physical peace of mind, plus Google offers some extras. 

These span from workspaces that boost productivity and wellbeing to top technology – it’s Google, duh! – and at-home workout and cooking classes. 

We’ve seen how successful businesses try to create work environments with a strong organizational culture that promotes mental wellbeing, health promotion, and important lifestyle changes. 

At this point, we’ll discuss top-rated corporate wellness platforms that’ll allow you to build your own corporate wellbeing and health plans for your employees. 

Let’s dive into it. 

Top 8 Best Corporate Wellness Companies

As promised, in this section we’re going to present some corporate wellness providers that specialize in wellness assistance programs. 

The programs these providers build might include anything from health risk assessments to fitness challenges, sessions with wellness coaches, support for employees’ family members, and prevention programs to minimize risk factors and ultimately decrease medical costs. 

Here are some great corporate wellness companies in the US:

• Wellable
• Burnalong
• Fitbit
• Kar?lia Health
• Vantage Fit
• Sprout
• Laughter on a Call
• MediKeeper

Let’s look at them in more detail. 

Corporate wellness company #1: Wellable

We’re kicking off our list with Wellable. 

Wellable is a platform that helps organizations reach their wellness goals with a holistic approach to wellness and corporate wellbeing. 

It offers wellness challenges as well as personal wellness assessments with measurable results and clinical event verifications to prevent and treat chronic diseases. 

Also, Wellable gives employers the chance to use a continuous incentive program to boost employee wellness and make their employees more engaged in the process of working towards a healthier and more active lifestyle.

Last but not least, Wellable offers two pricing plans depending on the features and level of support each employer receives. 

Corporate wellness company #2: Burnalong

Burnalong is a modern, holistic wellness program for businesses that want to engage everybody and make employees feel motivated and productive. 

The corporate wellness programs created by Burnalong focus on employee physical and mental health and employee fitness. 

More specifically, Burnalong is an easy-to-use, customizable, and scalable app – which means you can totally have your team use it on their phones when needed – that provides companies with inclusive content created by relatable instructors with the goal of keeping employees active and engaged. 

In other words, the platform’s wellness strategy is to offer thousands of online classes across a wide range of categories that can be tailored to each employees’ individual needs. 

Plus, every employee gets additional free sub-accounts for their family members.

Corporate wellness company #3: Fitbit

Many of you may know Fitbit for its activity trackers. 

However, Fitbit also has created a platform to boost employee engagement and wellness. 

Its programs’ aim is to help people live healthier lives.

To do so, Fitbit Health Solutions focuses on:

• Physical activity
• Sleep
• Nutrition
• Stress management

As you can see, Fitbit is one of the corporate wellness solutions that can help a business towards adopting a holistic approach to improving one’s work and personal life. 

Corporate wellness company #4: Kar?lia Health

Kar?lia’s True Health Program consists of a well-structured wellness scheme that cares about nutrition and physical activity as ways of keeping employees healthier and happier. 

The company seems to be focusing on nutrition therapy and therapeutic changes that can make a true difference in employees’ lifestyles. 

Their evidence-based medical model is all about preventing the onset and progression of chronic diseases with group education, sessions with clinically-trained experts, and consultations. 

Plus, there are supportive classes and materials to make sure employees get ongoing support when they need to. 

Corporate wellness company #5: Vantage Fit

Vantage Fit is a contemporary and original corporate wellness solution that’s AI-powered and helps enhance employee wellbeing, satisfaction, and productivity. 

The platforms main features are:

• Contests and challenges
• Activity trackers
• Fitness rewards

All these can help employers assist their employees in creating healthy habits in order to create a healthy and active workforce. 

Also, the program is designed to significantly decrease healthcare costs and generally support employees, thus increasing their productivity and engagement.

We’ve seen five corporate wellness programs, we’ve got another three to go. 

Corporate wellness company #6: Sprout

With the Educate. Engage. Inspire. motto Sprout is yet another company that works towards empowering organizations to adopt a healthier, wellbeing-driven corporate culture. 

Sprout is a health technology company that has created a powerful corporate wellness solution. 

The solution enables employee loyalty and retention by focusing on improving employees’ health and rewarding healthier habits and an overall healthier lifestyle. 

It comes with engaging features such as:

• Real-time health risk assessment
• Gamified goals
• Rewards and incentives
• Wearable device integrations
• Challenges

Let’s get to the next one. 

Corporate wellness company #7: Laughter on a Call

Laughter on a Call is different from others in this list, but can still be used by businesses as a mental wellness solution. 

Their approach is, as their name suggests, to improve wellbeing through shared laughter. 

They lead engaging, fun, and interactive sessions – both virtual and in-person – for businesses that need to boost employee morale and productivity. 

Companies can book comedians through Laughter on a Call for team sessions with their employees when they need it most. 

A great thing about this approach is that it can help create meaningful and strong connections within your staff. 

Corporate wellness company #8: MediKeeper

MediKeeper has created a portal that corporate administrators and employees can use to enhance corporate wellness. 

More specifically, this one is a customizable platform that allows businesses to manage their wellness plans, from health risk assessments and health coaching to wellness challenges, rewards to incentivize healthy habits, and fitness tracking.

The program is ideal for encouraging employees and motivating them to adopt a healthier lifestyle that’ll make them feel and live better. 

Final Thoughts

This post was all about corporate wellness through wellbeing programs that can help businesses show their employees how much they care. 

We believe that corporate wellness is essential and should be implemented in all steps in the workplace, from crafting a new hire orientation process to creating long-term relationships with employees. 

From swag gifts that’ll put a smile on your employees’ faces to corporate wellness programs, the bottom line is that you shouldn’t think of any of these as a one-size-fits-all kind of scheme that you need to copy from others and plug into your business. 

Customization is essential if you want to make sure that you’re building a personalized employee experience. 

We’re more than happy to assist you in finding the perfect gifts for your employees to match your thoughtful wellness programs. 

Leave a comment and we’ll make sure to get back to you as soon as we can!

Header image by Jason Goodman on Unsplash