How (and why!) to invest in a frontline employee wellness program

Frontline work is tough—physically and mentally. The long hours, demanding customers and constant pressure to perform can take a toll on even the most dedicated employees.

So, how can you show your frontline team that you care about their wellbeing? Forward-thinking organizations are ditching outdated perks and embracing a more holistic approach to employee wellbeing. Think mental health support, financial wellness resources and ample opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Ready to make a difference for your people through wellness? Let’s explore the key benefits and actionable steps to get you started. 

What is an employee wellness program?

Wellness programs typically refer to workplace initiatives that prioritize and improve employee health and wellbeing. According to KFF’s 2024 Employer Health Benefits Survey, 79% of large companies offer at least one initiative to help workers identify and address unhealthy behaviors and lifestyle choices, and the majority offer workers an incentive to participate.

These benefits help employees feel healthy, energized, engaged and supported. Programs can include mental health initiatives, smoking cessation, healthy eating plans, health risk assessments and lifestyle coaching. 

Increased workloads, understaffing and volatile work situations mean employees are under immense stress and at higher risk for mental health complications and burnout. Employee wellness programs offer a proactive approach to supporting employee wellbeing, relieving the pressure and opening the door for a healthier, more positive work environment.

Why should frontline organizations invest in employee health and wellbeing? 

According to our recent Deskless Report, burnout is still a challenge for 40% of employees and 31% of managers. With nearly half (45%) of frontline managers seeking more training on stress management, it’s clear that equipping leaders and their teams with the tools and resources needed to improve resilience and performance starts with organizations prioritizing adequate support.

Here are 5 reasons why frontline organizations should invest in employee wellness programs:

1. Less absenteeism

Each year in the U.S., productivity losses linked to absenteeism cost employers $225.8 billion or $1,685, according to the CDC. Wellness programs can help curtail the health issues costing frontline organizations significantly in terms of payroll costs, talent and HR expenses and lost productivity. 

2. Increased employee engagement and morale

Employee wellbeing and engagement are intertwined. One survey found that 69% of employers with a high wellbeing focus reported strong employee engagement (compared to 28% of less effective employers).

Why? Life is stressful, and those pressures don’t disappear when frontline employees clock in. Financial worries, family responsibilities and the daily grind can all take a toll on wellbeing. This impacts not only employees’ personal lives but also their performance at work; when they’re burdened by stress inside or outside of work, it becomes difficult to maintain focus, stay engaged and cultivate positive relationships with colleagues and customers.

3. Improved worker productivity

Employee wellbeing isn’t just good for employees; it’s good for the business. When employees feel their best, they perform their best. They tend to show more enthusiasm on the job, execute their roles more effectively and are more productive. In the same survey, 68% of employers with a strong focus on wellbeing reported high employee productivity (compared to 26% of less effective employers) and 66%% reported high financial performance (versus 43%). 

Delivering on a solid wellbeing strategy is proven to boost an organization’s bottom line. Improved wellness contributes to happier, engaged employees who can provide better customer service and make a tangible impact on business results.

4. Reduced turnover

Across frontline industries, over one-third of employees are ready to quit. And considering turnover costs businesses $30,674 annually on average (with some Canadian businesses reporting costs more than $100,000 per year), these are stats no frontline organization can afford to ignore. 

One of the simplest ways to reduce turnover, disconnectivity, disengagement and frustration is by increasing job satisfaction—and wellness programs are critical drivers of this.

5. A better employer brand

Companies investing in their employees’ wellbeing can see great returns flow through all parts of their company, including in their employer branding. This, in turn, results in higher quality candidates, reduced turnover and higher retention rates—all of which are critical to success during talent shortages and competitive labor markets.

How to create a frontline employee wellness program

Frontline employee wellness programs can help drive performance and increase feelings of inclusion. But they cannot just be one size fits all. The wellness needs of a frontline worker versus a deskbound one will differ greatly. To appeal to frontline workers, employers need to fine-tune their programs to meet the unique needs of their workforce. 

Here’s our 8-step plan to start building a wellness program at your frontline organization:

Step 1: Understand what your employees want and need

A common mistake organizations make when developing an employee wellness program is setting up initiatives without reviewing what it is their workforce actually wants. This can be done by tapping into your HR team, reviewing employee surveys and setting up a wellness committee for ongoing consultation with frontline workers. 

Step 2: Identify your program goals

Like with any initiative, setting a clear goal for your wellness program is vital. Focusing on addressing one metric at a time, such as productivity, absenteeism or turnover, can help to fine-tune your approach. Each goal should have one or more objectives, and the objectives should be clear and time-bound.

Step 3: Choose inclusive channels for running your employee wellness program

Choosing the right communication solution to run your program is an important part of the process. You want to ensure your program is easy to access for all team members. Improving communication practices across your workforce ensures team members feel empowered—and not afraid to—engage in self-care and wellbeing conversations at work. Embed wellness throughout the organization and into your company culture, from weekly reminders to the promotion of events to reminding people to take the time they need to invest in themselves in and out of the workplace.

Step 4: Pick your success metrics

Outline any key success metrics you’re looking to track. This will help you ensure alignment across every location. Seek out metrics that relate closely to the goals you set earlier in the process. But, don’t stop there. Collect multiple data points to get as granular as possible about the outcomes of your program. This will help you iterate and learn over time.

Step 5: Get buy-in from your managers

Your frontline managers are vital to determining your team’s health, wellbeing and engagement on any given day. In fact, according to Gallup, managers account for at least 70% of variance in employee engagement scores across the business. So it’s important to engage your managers to activate enthusiastic employee participation. 

Companies can go the distance by empowering managers to develop rituals and systems that embed employee health and wellbeing into their teams’ day-to-day. This could be as easy as starting team huddles with a moment of mindfulness, or encouraging team members to take a short walk on breaks.

Step 6: Gamify the process

Incentives or rewards are an essential way to encourage behavior change and boost participation in the wellness programs you run. Gamifying your wellness program can effectively drive organizational behavioral change and increase both workplace motivation and engagement. Try gamifying your frontline wellness initiatives through leaderboards, badges or points. Then, share successes and give appropriate recognition, incentives, and rewards based on achievements and involvement. 

Psst… Did you know Axonify has a points system baked right into our platform so you can encourage friendly competition on a company-wide leaderboard?!

Step 7: Provide opportunities for community-building

​​Employee community is a critical part of high-performing frontline teams. An environment that empowers every individual to collaborate, share information and support each other builds strong relationships and deeper connections between all team members. Employee community can also help to strengthen your wellness program by encouraging team members to share wellness ideas, challenges and triumphs. By fostering a community around your wellness program—and in your organization as a whole—you can increase chances of success.

Step 8: Review program results regularly

Now that you have a program up and running, don’t forget to continue to check in, update and optimize. Keep the lines of communication open and encourage upward feedback regularly. Check in on the success metrics you outlined for your program, but also review overall participation and engagement with the program itself. Look for gaps or exclusions you missed. Ask your workers for feedback on how the program is going and what could be improved. Keep the process flowing.

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As labor shortages persist and business needs change, the fundamental needs of frontline employees will remain the same. A wellness program can increase retention, boost engagement, drive productivity and help your team reach the business outcomes it strives for.