The idiom “speak softly and carry a big stick,” as 26th President Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy doctrine is famously known, very much applies to wellness at the workplace. And these days, the stick seems to be getting bigger.
Incentives to drive health and wellness programs are continuing to rise, but disincentives – while most caution against them – are the trend of the year in wellness. According to an Aon Hewitt survey released in April, while only 5% of responding employers currently use disincentives, 53% say they plan to begin doing so in the next three to five years. The expressions surrounding this mentality are many – the donkey likes the carrot and hates the stick, the iron fist is always covered with a velvet glove – but what does it all mean, what works and how will this slap-on-the-wrist tactic all work out?
