Employee Wellness Innovations

Conclusions

Based on the cases above, I discovered that most hospitality companies that were listed in the Great Places to work for survey applied the innovative employee benefits typical of high-tech companies (Table 2). 

Table 2. The Comparison of Wellness Programs From Companies

The combination of traditional perks with technology and networking can lead to higher job satisfaction. As Miesen stated, "wellness programs are an umbrella term for a wide variety of initiatives – from paying for smoking cessation, to smartphone apps to track how much you walk or how well you comply with your plan of care, and everything in between". Hospitality company owners should think about offering immediate rewards when their staff participate in health initiatives such as weight loss or walking steps competition. Jawbone UP and Nike FuelBand are very popular among managers to motivate their staff. According to a study, people with pedometers take 2,491 more steps every day. 

Using new technology turns walking into a game that can lead employees to get more exercise. Also, people tend to care more about immediate and current incentives than future incentives. Instant feedback towards healthy behavior will make wellness programs work better. To get more employees engaged in these programs, companies should also make use of their social connection. Hospitality companies can reward staff who share their companies' creative benefits online and through social media. On the one hand, sharing may motivate more co-workers to participate. On the other hand, the companies will be regarded as cool places to work by the public. Also, taking care of employees' family members makes employees feel respect and trust from their companies, which makes them concentrate more on their work and cater to guests with superior quality. From an economical perspective, for every dollar spent on wellness programs, companies make back $3.27 on average. Gallup confirmed the relationship between employee feelings and company outcomes According to the study, lost productivity from employee disengagement can be worth more than $300 billion in the US every year. Another study also found that business unit sales can be predicted by employees' feelings about the corporation. It is worth it for hospitality companies to invest in the innovation of their wellness programs. Ultimately, such programs keep workers from switching companies.