COLUMBIA, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Employers counting on wellness programs to bend the benefits cost curve must include strong communication plans in their strategy if they hope to achieve their goals. Those who shortchange this crucial step risk wasting their investment of precious resources in a tight economy.

Thats one of the key findings in a new white paper released today by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company. Well on the Way: Engaging Employees in Workplace Wellness uses proprietary and industry research and case studies to show how wellness initiatives can help employers control ever-higher health care and benefits costs, and the vital role of benefits communication in driving the effectiveness of these programs.

A growing number of employers are implementing programs that successfully reduce employee health risk factors and better manage chronic illness the primary drivers of health care costs. And employees value these programs: Nearly 90 percent of employees say the range of a companys health and wellness benefits is either very important or somewhat important in their choice of an employer.1 Yet these employees still might not participate in wellness programs because of lack of information.

You can build it but they may not come

Most employers cite weak employee engagement as the biggest obstacle to changing their employees health risk behavior, the white paper reports.2 But more than half of workers say they dont know enough about their companys wellness programs to participate in them. A new Colonial Life survey found 52 percent of workers whose employers offer wellness programs say theyre only somewhat or not at all knowledgeable about them.3 Lack of knowledge is higher among younger workers, less educated workers and lower-paid workers.

Just offering a wellness program and expecting a majority of employees to participate the if you build it, they will come scenario is prone to failure, said Steve Bygott, assistant vice president of marketing analysis and programs at Colonial Life. Communication that clearly delineates the benefits of participation to employees is the first step to long-term engagement in wellness programs.

Recent research shows wellness programs are often poorly understood and theres a surprising gap between what employers and employees think: 57 percent of employers believe their employees have a good understanding of the health and wellness programs offered and how to participate, but only 41 percent of employees agree they have a strong grasp of the programs offered.1

Personalized communication is effective

One-to-one employee communication, delivered in partnership with a benefits provider, offers a cost-effective means to build understanding and enhance engagement in these programs. Surveys with more than 20,000 employees who met individually with a benefits communication counselor show nearly all (96 percent) say it improved their understanding of benefits, and 98 percent say the interaction was important.4

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Colonial Life white paper shows communication is key to wellness program success