6 Steps to Make Wellness Programs More Inclusive

A little over a decade ago, when Martinus Evans started having hip pain that wouldn’t ease, he went to a doctor who took one look at him and told him his problem was that he was too overweight and didn’t walk enough.

But Evans, who then weighed roughly 360 pounds, knew that wasn’t his problem: He worked a retail job and was on his feet all day.

“Some days, I will clock in 30,000 steps,” Evans said Nov. 5 at SHRM INCLUSION 2024 outside Denver. “But this doctor did not care. He did not see me. He did not see my problems. All he saw was this body that needed to change.”

In a fit of anger, Evans told the doctor he constantly walked and was, in fact, going to run a marathon. “He told me that was the stupidest thing he ever heard in all his years of practice of medicine,” Evans recalled. “This doctor also went on to say that if I did try to run a marathon, I would die on that course.”

Not only did Evans run a marathon, he founded the Slow AF Run Club, a group that aims to empower people of all abilities and body types to start running and now has some 40,000 members.

The doctor’s shortsightedness and weight bias reflects the same mentality that often plagues company leaders when it comes to their organizations’ wellness programs, Evans said. There’s a bias against people who are overweight; programs often are based purely on fitness challenges; and people with disabilities or chronic health conditions are usually left out.

In short, wellness programs are too exclusionary and too one-size-fits-all, he said, causing many employees to avoid participation out of fear or shame. And people often only participate due to fear of reprisal, not out of genuine interest.

All that needs to change, Evans said.

“Inclusivity isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s beneficial to your organization’s bottom line,” he said.

The following six steps can make wellness programs more inclusive, Evans told attendees.

1. Challenge toxic narratives. One of the first steps is to redefine the goals of a wellness challenge: Well-being should be the priority, not weight loss. Employees shouldn’t be pitted against each other in challenges; instead, efforts should be about personal milestones. Furthermore, he said, organizations should avoid language that shames or stigmatizes. Consider offering diverse options such as yoga, art therapy, and mindfulness, as well as educational sessions on nutrition, sleep, stress management, and personal finance.

“We’ve got to make sure that we focus on true holistic well-being versus weight loss,” Evans said. “The pillars of true holistic well-being are physical, mental, emotional, financial, sometimes even spiritual. You have five or six different things you can work on instead of weight loss.”

2. Hold audits for bias. Does your wellness program include a variety of activities that accommodate a wide range of people? Are you considering activities in which people with various abilities and disabilities can participate? Are you considering economic boundaries? (For example, does a particular challenge or component require equipment or facilities that cost money?)

“We want to make sure that your activities accommodate a wide range of people,” Evans said. “When you are building these programs, ask yourself: ‘Is this program only for able-bodied people? Can someone with a chronic condition do this?’ ”

3. Adopt opt-in participation. If organizations have a fully mandatory wellness program, they likely will isolate employees and make them uncomfortable, Evans said. Instead, make participation voluntary. That will respect individuals’ readiness and interest, as well as reduce feelings of coercion.

4. Nurture facilitator training for inclusivity. Organizations often bring in outside facilitators for wellness programs. But it’s up to the employer to ensure that any third parties are trained on inclusivity.

“You have to ask them, ‘Have you participated in some type of cultural sensitivity? Do you have various modifications for your employees with various disabilities or abilities?’ ” Evans said. “If the answer is no, you have to find somebody else, or you have to train those people.”

5. Give options for everyone. Make sure programs are accessible to all employees, regardless of ability and location. This could mean using technology to reach remote employees. Employers should also include activities that cater to different interests (think nonfitness activities such as book clubs or gardening). Resources should also be offered in multiple languages if necessary.

Don’t forget to ensure flexible scheduling, providing sessions at different times to accommodate various shifts. Record sessions for on-demand access.

6. Engage through feedback and continuously improve. The last step to ensuring an inclusive wellness program? Staying in tune with employees’ evolving needs and committing to improvement.

“When was the last time you did a survey just to gauge employee satisfaction? When was the last time you did a focus group to see what employees actually want from their wellness program? When was the last time you took that information and actually did something with it?” Evans asked session attendees. “We have an opportunity for improvement.”