How GuideWell Built a Wellness Culture Employees Help Shape

Over the past seven years, wellness manager Tracy Gallo and her team have helped transform GuideWell's wellness strategy into a comprehensive, employee-centered well-being ecosystem that has earned them a Platinum Well Workplace Award for several years running. Known as LiveWell, the strategy supports employees across multiple dimensions of wellness while advancing GuideWell's broader mission of helping people and communities achieve better health. At its core, the organization's approach recognizes that investing in employee well-being is essential to business success. Foundational to GuideWell's success is leadership that actively champions employee wellness, as well as direct involvement from employees.

Transforming Wellness Through Listening

At the heart of GuideWell's wellness strategy is a simple principle: listen first. To do this, the organization relies on a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, including annual wellness surveys, focus groups, participation metrics, and health outcomes. These insights help GuideWell better understand employees' needs, interests, and challenges, allowing the organization to make informed decisions about its wellness strategy. Employee input has influenced everything from program offerings to the name of the wellness program itself, LiveWell. By grounding decisions in employee feedback rather than assumptions, GuideWell has created a program that remains relevant, responsive, and highly valued by its workforce.

The Power of LiveWell Champions

Further demonstrating GuideWell's commitment to listening to employees is its LiveWell Champions network, which serves as a two-way connection between employees and leadership. The program began with fewer than ten volunteers and eventually grew to 36 champions representing teams across the organization. Champions are not appointed or assigned; they volunteer because of a genuine passion for wellness and a desire to support their colleagues. They meet monthly, participate in ongoing training, and help amplify wellness resources and initiatives throughout the organization. Just as importantly, they serve as a valuable feedback channel, bringing employee perspectives and insights directly to the wellness team. A key factor in the program's success is leadership support. Before becoming a champion, employees must obtain their manager's approval, ensuring they have the time and support needed to actively contribute to wellness initiatives.

Designing Well-Being for the Whole Person

GuideWell recognizes that wellness extends far beyond physical health, and through employee feedback, the organization has incorporated an approach that supports the whole person.

• The LiveWell strategy gives employees multiple ways to build and sustain their physical wellness by better understanding their health, taking preventive action, and choosing support that aligns with their personal goals, from preventive care to personalized support and skill-building programs. Key offerings include:
  • Biometric screenings and preventive care incentives
  • Health coaching and one-on-one support
  • Knowledge-based content on healthy eating, meal planning, and nutrition
  • In-depth virtual courses, including the 12-week Lifestyle Management program and Healthy at Any Size.
• Emotional wellness is addressed through resources such as the Employee Assistance Program, stress-management tools, and additional mental health support.
• Financial wellness is supported through financial assessments, meetings with Fidelity representatives, and resources focused on budgeting and retirement planning.
• GuideWell further supports intellectual and occupational wellness through GuideWell University, and online learning and development library, featuring leadership training, technical certifications, and career development opportunities, as well as a performance management system.
• Social wellness is encouraged through access to the fitness center, recreational activities, intramural leagues, Employee Appreciation day and the LiveWell Champions network, creating multiple pathways for employees to connect, grow, and pursue wellness in ways that best fit their lives.
  

An Incentive Strategy That Works

GuideWell intentionally designed its incentive strategy as a year-long model that reinforces sustainable behavior change rather than one-time participation. The structure gives employees a flexible path to earn rewards by choosing activities and initiatives that align with their needs, interests, and health goals. To qualify, employees must complete two foundational requirements: a biometric screening and a health assessment. From there, they can earn additional credit through a range of well-being activities, including:

• Preventive screenings
• Career development opportunities
• Financial wellness strategies
• Chronic condition management
• Lifestyle programs.

Employees can earn dollars toward an HRA or HSA, but the larger purpose is to help them build lifelong, sustainable habits that support their overall well-being.

That impact shows up in employee feedback as well. As one employee shared, “It helps keep me accountable for my health, while also providing extra dollars to help pay for my medical bills.”

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  Ashton Sholund

  Associate Director, Wellness Education and Content

  Wellness Alliance

  As a Wellness Content and Information Specialist at the Wellness Alliance, Ashton is passionate about supporting employee well-being and advancing workplace wellness initiatives. With over 12 years of experience as a certified health coach, Ashton has worked extensively in the worksite wellness sector, empowering individuals and organizations to prioritize health and create sustainable wellness strategies. Outside of work, she enjoys group exercise classes and participating in a monthly book club to nurture both her physical and mental well-being.