The blue collar male population can be a tough group to engage in wellness programs. Yet, it’s also the group that can benefit from corporate health initiatives as much, if not more than the rest. Here are a few simple tips to overcome common barriers and get them participating.
1. Up the cool factor
Dancing apple posters and onsite yoga classes may not appeal to most of the men at your company. Try to include wellness initiatives like Tough Mudder signups, strength training classes or Crossfit gym passes to up the cool factor and get men interested.
2. Tap into their competitive nature
Men like to win. Use that to your advantage. Try holding walking competitions to see who can get the most steps. Or have them team up to work together to complete a wellness task. By adding accountability, camaraderie and competition, you can help men feel more comfortable participating.
3. Keep it simple
This applies to everyone in your wellness program, and especially for men. If something is confusing or requires jumping through hoops just to participate, you risk losing their attention. Keep any initiatives or incentives you offer in a simple, easy to communicate structure and participation numbers will rise.
4. Ease into it
Don’t just axe the donuts, eliminate smoke breaks and set seemingly unachievable health standards right off the bat. Instead, ease into the switches by introducing healthier options without eliminating the less healthy. For example, start by bringing in fruit along side the donuts on donut Fridays, or offer an incentive to those who participate in a smoking cessation class rather than making your workplace smoke free.
5. Give Incentives they’ll dig
Who says wellness incentives can only be cash or gift cards? We’ve seen our clients’ reward participation with some more creative incentives, like a Star Wars cookbook complete with light saber chopsticks, to a Bear Grylls survival kit and an ATV raffle. By offering rewards that genuinely interest them you can help men overcome their initial trepidations about participating in the program.
6. Find an internal wellness champion
Finding a wellness champion outside of HR and C-Suite level is key to increasing men’s willingness to participate. By having someone they relate to, joke with and genuinely trust, the wellness message is far more likely to be heard.
What tips do you have for getting more blue-collar men to participate in your organization's wellness program? Let us know in the comments!