Do Rewards Promote Worker Wellness?
Workers who experience little connection between their effort and their rewards have worse health habits than those who work hard and see rewards, reports Wendy Lynch, Ph.D., executive director of the Health as Human Capital Foundation.
Studies suggest that when efforts do not result in anticipated rewards, workers have a greater tendency not to care about practicing healthy habits. Conversely, employees who are rewarded for their efforts on the job have a corresponding tendency to improve other aspects of their life, such as their health, she said. “Work and health come down to more than offering wellness programs,” Dr. Lynch says. “If you are like most people, you work because you want or need what you get in return,” such as a sense of accomplishment, pay, recognition, and opportunities for advancement.
She invites employers to answer the following questions:
- Is your workplace supporting personal control by giving people appropriate discretion over their work tasks?
- Are the people who get better results receiving better rewards?
- Is there a clear pathway for those who are NOT doing well to improve and succeed?
“If you cannot answer ‘yes’ to these questions, your workplace may be detrimental to worker health, regardless of programs and messages encouraging healthy habits,” she advises. “The workplace has a powerful influence on behavior at and away from work. By focusing on positive aspects of work, employers have a direct opportunity to improve individual health.”
