The new year is a natural time for reflection and renewal, both personally and professionally. For organizations, January presents the perfect opportunity to establish a foundation for a healthier, more engaged workforce. Wellness and communication go hand in hand, creating a powerful combination that not only supports employees but also drives overall engagement and productivity.
According to a recent Firstup survey, U.S. employees continue to face high stress levels, with ineffective communication often preventing wellness programs from reaching their full potential. This highlights a critical opportunity for HR and communication professionals: As employees embrace their New Year’s resolutions, employers can enhance wellness initiatives by ensuring these resources are clearly communicated, accessible, and relevant.
Why communication is key to wellness success
Despite organizations offering valuable wellness benefits such as gym memberships, mental health support, and nutrition counseling, many employees remain unaware of their options. Firstup’s findings reveal that 32% of employees would be more likely to use wellness benefits if the information was easier to find, while 25% would engage more if they knew what resources were available.
These statistics suggest that promoting wellness isn’t just about offering benefits — it’s about how you communicate them. Employees need timely, targeted, and personalized messaging to truly connect with these resources, especially those hard-to-reach deskless workers who may not receive an email at all.
Reaching employees where they are
Modern workplaces are diverse, with employees spanning global office-based roles, deskless frontline positions, and remote environments. This makes it challenging to reach everyone effectively, particularly when traditional methods like email don’t always cut through the noise — or reach the intended audience.
Intelligent communication platforms like Firstup can help HR and communication professionals deliver wellness information in an employee-centric way. By mirroring the personalization strategies used in consumer marketing, these platforms can:
- Provide tailored updates: Employees receive wellness messages aligned with their preferences and needs.
- Deliver omni-channel communication: From mobile apps to digital signage, intelligent platforms ensure messages reach deskless and desk-based employees alike.
- Facilitate real-time feedback: HR teams gain insight into what resonates and what doesn’t — enabling continuous improvement with communications and wellness initiatives.
For instance, consider an employee taking bereavement leave. While it would be nearly impossible for an HR or communications professional to manually track and respond to every leave case, an intelligent platform can bridge that gap. By identifying when an employee is going on leave, the platform can automatically deliver timely, compassionate messages, such as details about counseling or Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services. This ensures employees receive the right support exactly when they need it most, fostering care and wellbeing during challenging times.
“The functionality of the Firstup platform offers Sheppard Pratt the oppurtunity to target employees by role and location and to be able to serve up our content, systems, and resources in a way that’s truly meant for each individual employee personally.”
–Tamara Chumley, Strategic & Operational Commmunications, Sheppard Pratt
Tips for better wellness communications
Creating a consumer-like experience through personalized communications is essential for enhancing wellness messaging. But what else can you do? Try integrating these four tips into your wellness communication strategy to maximize impact.
- Leverage storytelling: Real-life examples can bring wellness programs to life. Share employee testimonials about how they’ve benefited from specific resources, such as stress management workshops or gym memberships. Storytelling adds a personal touch and inspires others to engage.
- Time communications around key moments: Wellness is not a one-size-fits-all journey, and timing matters. The beginning of the year is peak time to communicate wellness since it aligns well with many of the top-of-mind resolutions your employees have made. However, communications should continue year-round and be customized around key moments. Promote programs during critical periods, such as after the holidays, during peak flu season, or leading up to summer. Align messaging with employees’ natural rhythms and needs to increase relevance and impact. Better yet, use Firstup’s journey automation and let the platform use data to know the best times to deliver wellness information to employees.
- Make wellness part of the culture: Move beyond one-off initiatives and integrate wellness into your organization’s ongoing communication strategy. For example, include a “Wellness Spotlight” section in newsletters or dedicate time in team meetings to share tips and updates. When wellness becomes a regular part of the conversation, employees are more likely to prioritize it.
- Track engagement and adapt: Use analytics to measure the effectiveness of your wellness communications. Monitor participation rates, click-throughs, and feedback to identify what resonates. This data can guide you in refining your approach, ensuring your communications remain relevant and impactful.
Need inspiration for wellness comms all year long?
Check out the Wellness Journey templates in the Firstup EX Content Library.
Setting the tone for a healthier 2025
The link between communication and stress is clear: When employees are overwhelmed by information or lack access to critical updates, their stress increases. Conversely, clear, accessible communication about wellness resources can reduce this burden. By ensuring that wellness programs are easy to find and participate in, employers can help employees feel supported in their wellbeing goals.
Closing the gap
For HR and communication professionals, the start of the year is the perfect time to reassess how wellness benefits are communicated. By leveraging technology and a thoughtful communication strategy to create personalized, effective messages, organizations can better connect employees with the resources they need. The result? A workplace culture that prioritizes health, reduces stress, and fosters engagement.
Make 2025 the year your organization fully commits to wellness and communication. By doing so, you’ll not only support your employees’ wellbeing but also set the stage for a more productive, engaged, and resilient workforce.
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