Wellmark goes mobile on staff wellness initiative

Imagine counting each stair you walk up or how many ounces of water you drink each day.

Wellmark, an insurance company, inspired employees to take on these challenges—with a little help from mobile technology. The company’s employee health and productivity campaign, called “It Starts With Us,” launched Jan. 24. The campaign, expected to last from 12 to 18 months, focuses on two issues:

To encourage behavioral changes in employees, Wellmark created two mobile apps that correspond with those challenges.

The campaign’s first challenge—Step It Up—rewarded employees with $100 each quarter, depending on whether they reached a preset monthly goal, climbing either 3,000 or 2,700 steps. When the challenge started, employees used sticky notes and sheets of paper to keep tabs on their climbing.

But the IT team made everyone’s lives a little bit easier when they developed an app—for both iPhone and Android—that enables employees to keep track of the stairs they climb.

“The app helps spread the message about health and wellness,” says Vic Morales, senior communications consultant of employee health and productivity. “It’s a simple app. It’s really been beneficial for our employees.”