Corporate Wellness Blog

Several years ago, business health fairs were all the rage. Now they’re making a comeback, with a slight twist.

In the past, the fairs often better served the provider(s) who came onsite than the needs of the hosting organization or their personnel. More lately, organizations have refined the planning of the events to serve in particular to launch or promote a health promotion program.

To be successful, the events need to serve two purposes – increaseing staff member education and building their enthusiasm to take part in the wellness program.

To be sure you and your staff members get the most out of a health fair, it helps to be conscious of the plusses and minuses – and some little touches that can mean the difference between a so-so event and a hit.

Health Fairs –  Double-edged sword

On the plus side, staff members received easy-to-grasp information on key wellness topics such as illness detection, symptom control and smarter medication practices. They also receive important services like free blood-pressure screenings.

On the down side, some experts said the more newfangled events were more like “disease fairs” than “health fairs.” In other words, the tone was little too somber and workforce weren’t namely tuned in because they weren’t enjoying themselves.

Health Promotion program advisor Dr. Ron Goetzel believes that the savviest firms strike a balance in their health fairs. Stick with the screenings, but also feature exhibitors who offer “lighter,” more enjoyable services. Examples –

• A booth from a local health-food store

• A chair-massage station

• elder-care info from the AARP, or

• A “complimentary medicine” info booth (e.g.,a chiropractor or an acupuncturist).

Offering incentives

In many cases, staff still need an incentive to attend the fair and get the desired screenings, besides to doing the fun stuff. Some real-life health promotion programs that’ve worked –

• A contest offering prizes to workers who visit every station

• quizzes and prizes based on info from different providers’ literature

• flex-scheduling or time-off incentives for getting screened (e.g., a comp day or an additional afternoon off), and

• cash incentives (as little as $20 and as much as $100) to people  who voluntarily participate in various screenings.