Corporate wellness companies and their clients frequently struggle with barriers to population engagement that aren’t adequately addressed with changes to programming. As the wellness industry begins to take a more holistic approach to benefits that address the mental and financial health issues that impact physical health, it’s a good time to explore how wellness can assume a role that facilitates inclusion within corporate culture.

What does inclusion look like in corporate wellness?

At a high level, benefits programs, messaging, and images that are encouraging and address population diversity serve to create a culture of inclusion. If an employee feels their company recognizes and welcomes people of their gender, race, body type, sexual orientation, and abilities, they are more likely to engage with and benefit from wellness programs. 

The first step in creating a diverse and inclusive culture of wellness is to assess current messaging and benefits to ensure that no identity group is left behind. Here’s how to start.

Offer identity-based support programming

Experts at the National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability (NCHPAD) recommend establishing a wellness committee that is representative of a population’s diversity. This group’s role is to assess existing corporate wellness programming and determine how best to remove barriers to participation for all identity groups. Here’s a Work Well NC workplace wellness program assessment tool that specifically addresses individuals with disabilities. It can also be modified by the wellness committee members and used as a starting point to address all identity groups represented in a site’s population.

• Modify programs that are exclusionary so that all employees feel welcome to participate. Instead of a Step Challenge, create a Movement Challenge inclusive of those who have limited mobility.
• Encourage the formation of identity-based support groups and adopt programs that are representative of population subgroups, but also welcome those who identify differently to join their discussions.
• Consider nutrition education programs and events that are respectful and inclusive of a population’s idealogical, cultural, medical, or religious dietary restrictions.
• Create body-positive programming that shifts from a “weight loss” focus to a “healthy living” focus.

Representation within a corporate wellness program’s benefits is an important first step to welcome any groups that may have felt marginalized or excluded in the past. Once the programming and benefits are structured to serve all members of your population, it’s time to solidify a culture of inclusive wellness through supportive and encouraging messaging and imagery.

Send the message that all are welcome

NCHPAD encourages corporate cultural shifts in language that recognize the person first, and then their special need or identity. For example, recognize “a person with hearing loss” rather than “hard-of-hearing employees” in workplace training materials. For identity purposes, people-first language also recognizes the individual, although in some cases your wellness committee may choose identity-first language as the more appealing option for your population.

As you develop wellness materials, remember to use channels and platforms that are easily accessible for employees with vision or hearing loss, as well as those who have cognitive issues that may impact their ability to read lots of text.

Diversify images to reflect your population

Using standard gym imagery in wellness training or marketing materials may be off-putting and feel exclusionary to those who don’t look like the models in the photos. Again, representation is key to promoting a welcoming and inclusive culture. The average American woman wears a size 14 or larger, so using images of slim women can be exclusionary for women who don’t see themselves represented in wellness materials. The same can be said for every employee whose race, gender identity, religion, physical ability, size or shape isn’t reflected in a company’s imagery messaging.

The time for inclusive wellness programming is now

A great corporate wellness company knows that active listening is the best way to implement real change and inclusivity for any population. Aquila’s approach uses communication and respect to develop corporate wellness programming that is inclusive, effective, and engaging. Contact us at info@aquilaltd.com to learn more about our corporate wellness consulting services. Aquila has more than 25 years’ experience customizing wellness and fitness packages for diverse populations, and we’ll help you determine the best benefits, programs, and messaging to support a culture of inclusion that welcomes every employee to live their best life.