These 10 Features of Employee Wellness Portal Helped Us Achieve Corporate Wellness

Corporate wellness is picking up speed across the globe. Employers have realized that retaining and engaging employees is as important as any other investment in the business, so they are looking for and investing in a sturdy employee wellness portal.

I am sure every business owner is well aware that employee wellness is a significant profit-driving force of the company. If you are an employer, making sure that your employees are satisfied and happy is not just humane but a business tactic, too. Therefore, we have brought you this wellness portal that can help you achieve corporate wellness.

So, let's ask, why employee wellness? Is it making any difference? We did a great deal of research; a Forbes study showed that 70% of employers improved their physical environments to support employee wellness.

Another 2013 Forbes study said that 87% of employees consider employee wellness and benefits before choosing an organization. So, read about a corporate wellness portal, its benefits, and its features.

The competition to hire the best will increase in the years ahead. Companies that give extra flexibility to their employees will have the edge in this area.
– Bill Gates

What is an Employee Wellness Portal?

An employee wellness portal is an online platform that promotes and supports employees' physical and mental well-being. It offers a wide range of resources and tools that help with overall well-being.

These portals or platforms are essential tools for corporate firms. They can give the management access to various health metrics and insights. They enable organizations to generate better profit with enhanced employee well-being and health.

These wellness portals for corporate employees are different from wellness programs. While wellness programs are a more inclusive concept, portals are functional platforms for executing different activities. Tag along as we discuss the two concepts in detail!

Corporate Wellness Portal vs. Corporate Wellness Programs

As an employee engagement company, we have often come across client companies using corporate wellness portals and corporate wellness programs interchangeably. But there are some factors that differentiate them. While wellness programs are an inclusive and broad concept, a portal is a narrow one.

We have outlined some of the prominent differentiating factors between wellness portals and programs in the table above. There are other levels of difference between the two as well.

10 Crucial Features of an Employee Wellness Portal

There are many employee wellness portals available for us today. But which one is the most suitable? The answer to this question depends upon the various features they have. Companies can analyze these features and choose the one that fits best.

1. Mobile Accessibility

The world is always on the go. This fast-paced life demands everything to be done on the go or be accessible everywhere. This makes a wellness portal or platform's mobile accessibility a must-have feature.

A 2024 Statista report shows that 95.9% of users access the internet on their smartphones. This statistic should be used as a benchmark when creating wellness portals. Offering the platform on phones or apps can result in enhanced engagement.

Mobile availability is an indispensable feature of corporate wellness portals. It allows employees to access their health metrics and complete challenges wherever they can. This is not only convenient but can also increase participation in the challenges.

Our wellness portal application, Vantage Fit, is a one-in-all employee wellness platform. It is readily available on every device with smooth user interface. The app has built-in fitness challenges that help you stay fit as well as earn redeemable points.

2. Confidentiality in Wellness Assessment

We understand that confidentiality is the core of these portals. As these platforms use personal data, a data protection policy must be present. Sensitive people do not want their health details shared.

Employee wellness programs must abide by various data protection regulations such as HIPAA. This requires any programs or employer-sponsored health assessment to be confidential. The employee is well-informed in case the data is analyzed by a third party like a laboratory.

This feature clearly communicates the purpose and actions of the portal's activities. It helps build trust with the employees and enhance participation. When employees know thoroughly about their data being collected, they tend to be honest and open.

3. Educational Resources and Content Library

A good employee wellness hub educates the employees about the need for healthy habits. It preaches and avails of many quality resources to inculcate healthy behaviors. These resources could include videos, seminars, PDFs, PPTs, books, and audio files.

As these resources are available on mobile devices, employees can access them around the clock. They cover a wide range of health-related topics like nutrition, physical fitness, as well as mental health.

Educating employees about their health helps build a community of health-conscious people. It boosts engagement and nurtures the organization's healthy work environment.

4. Engaging Wellness Challenges

A dynamic feature of a good wellness portal is engaging and fun wellness challenges. Organizations can conduct a survey before adopting an employee wellness plan. This will give them an upper hand in designing the challenges.

Employers must understand that getting people to work out is not easy. A 2019 study showed that out of all the people with gym memberships, only 49.9% went to the gym twice a week. Therefore, it is crucial to make the challenges fun and engaging.

Using platforms like Vantage Fit, employers can design gamified challenges and activities. They can design it in a way so that completing tasks will earn them badges and points. This will keep employees hooked to continue completing the tasks every time they appear.

5. Seamless Device Integration

The modern era and technology have cut the bounds of mobile devices. Therefore, an effective employee wellness portal must have multiple-device integration.

These portals can be effortlessly integrated into various wearable devices like smart watches, fitness bands, mobile phones, and others. This allows tracking of real time health metrics like sleep hours, heart rate, distance travelled, and more.

This feature boosts participation or engagement like no other. According to a study, 45% of Americans wear smartwatches. Therefore, by enabling multiple device integration, employers can skyrocket their employee wellness plans through the portals.

6. Health Coaching

Wellness portals often offer personalized health and wellness coaching, which is one of their main features. This customized approach helps boost participation and is more likely to build healthier habits.

Health coaching on these platforms makes them more comprehensive. It facilitates mental, physical, professional, and financial wellness. This guided holistic wellness approach keeps the employees hooked.

Coaching can be provided in different ways, such as PDF guides, instructional videos, selected live sessions, and presentations. A WebMD Health Services report says that after engaging with a health coach, half of their program participants moved to a low severity level in chronic diseases.

7. Leaderboard Recognition

We have seen what wonders public recognition can do for the employees and we stand firm with it for enhanced productivity and motivation.

Recognition plays a pivotal role in a company. According to a study, 83.6% of employees feel that their recognition helps them keep their motivation up. Therefore, as a part of an employee wellness program, the portal must have a leaderboard.

The leaderboard can show the top 5 or 10 employees who have completed their tasks and earned a reward or points. This can inspire other employees to try and make it to the board and be recognized.

8. Flexible Incentive or Reward System

Another essential feature of a good wellness plan or portal is flexibility in incentivizing and rewarding. Employers must understand that employees will only participate and engage if the challenges are simple.

They must be able to customize the challenges and rewards system according to their healthcare goals. A diverse range of reward systems will also enhance their engagement in the long run.

On-demand fitness classes are another feature that can make the portal more effective. City life often demands fitness classes at their own time and being able to provide that would be a great success for any corporate wellness program.

9. Easy Tracking, Reporting, and Analyzing

A good employee wellness portal must offer easy tracking and reporting of health metrics for employers. This helps the employer track the ROI generated from the wellness program.

An effective portal is connected to a dashboard that admins can access. This dashboard provides real-time data on employees, such as the number of steps walked, or calories burned. The reports generated can be easily printed or exported as sheets.

Vantage Fit provides a flawless portal and a customizable employee wellness dashboard for seamless metrics collection. Its mobile application has several engaging fitness challenges that help employees build healthier habits and earn points. Book a demo today!

10. Community of Health-Conscious People

One of the crucial benefits and features of a wellness portal is its contribution to building a community. It helps bring like-minded people closer together, in this case, health-conscious corporate employees.

It helps cherish healthy relationships and healthy competition among employees. This keeps their motivation up and them engaged in the workplace. Hence, it greatly contributes to a positive and healthy work culture.

Suggested Read: Why do Health Benefits Matter? How to Get Started with Them?

A Few More Must-Have Features of a Wellness Portal

The features that we mentioned above make our top 10 list. They helped us achieve corporate wellness flawless and can work for other firms if executed well. Here are few more that cannot be ignored-

User-Friendly Interface

A good portal is always easy to navigate for employees from any department. The interface must be smooth and handy, which will add to the platform's popularity.

Customizable Communications

It is always great to see your name in a notification. It makes us feel cared for. Therefore, a wellness app or portal with customized or personalized content or communication system engages the employee.

Choosing the Right Wellness Portal Provider

Choosing the correct wellness portal provider is essential for the smooth functioning of the organization. It is also necessary to check if the providers' programs can be integrated with your policies without significant changes.

Therefore, when choosing a wellness portal for your organization, consider the following factors:

Check What Your Company Needs

• Check if the types of initiatives provided align with your employees' needs.
• Understand the current situation of your organization and assess what you need.
• Consider the age difference, fitness levels, and employee demographics.
• Check if your budget aligns appropriately to keep the program running in the long run.

Validate Their Features

• Thoroughly check if every feature they provide is helpful to your organization.
• Check the navigational accuracy and smoothness of their admin dashboard.
• Run a test of their portal or app before accepting it.
• Understand their support system if this is your first time using employee wellness portals.

Customization Options

• Every program they offer will not serve your purpose. Check their customization options.
• Confirm your branding requirements with them.
• Check if the challenges and reward systems provided can be customized.

Privacy and Security

• Make sure you put forth your requirements for your employees', employees', and clients' data privacy.
• Ask them about the system they incorporate to secure their database.
• Ask them if they stick to the regulations of HIPAA for sensitive information.

The above-mentioned steps and the features discussed will equip you well in choosing the right wellness portal provider for your company. Make sure your employees are happy and satisfied with who and what you choose for them. You can make sure of this with a survey before meeting with the provider.

Suggested Read: Understanding the Pros and Cons of Wellness Programs.

Recap

Employee wellness portals like Vantage Fit are changing the corporate world as we know it today. The changing times have changed the way we perceive employee wellness.

Vantage Fit has always tried to change this perception of the corporate world with its commendable features. We are a group of motivated individuals trying to bring positive change to corporations worldwide.

So, if you are an employer, this line is for you- an employee lost is a significant cost incurred. Therefore, keep your employees engaged with proper employee wellness portals and plans. Book a demo with us today and see the difference for yourself!