Enhancing employee engagement through health benefits

Employee engagement is more than a cultural buzzword. For enterprise organizations, it’s a proven driver of performance, retention, and business growth. But keeping teams motivated and committed requires more than pizza Fridays or inspirational Slack messages. This demands real support. Preventative healthcare benefits that allow employees to bring their best self to work provide an effective return on investment for proative employers.

Meaningful, effective healthcare benefits are valuable for employers and employees alike. In a world where health, work, and home life constantly overlap, employees expect their employers to offer more than generic wellness perks.

They’re looking for tangible, accessible care that makes their lives easier, healthier, and more sustainable. That’s where health benefits become a strategic tool, both to reduce employer healthcare costs, and to increase employee engagement and productivity.

Why health benefits influence employee engagement

When employees feel supported in their physical and mental health, they’re more likely to bring more energy and commitment to work. That means better focus, stronger collaboration, and a deeper sense of connection to their role and employer. But the opposite is also true.

Chronic pain, stress, or delayed access to care create friction, making it harder for employees to engage meaningfully at work. Research shows that untreated musculoskeletal conditions can significantly affect daily function and job performance.⁶ Employees may withdraw, miss work, or underperform, not due to a lack of motivation, but because their health is getting in the way.

A 2022 Gallup report found that engaged employees are 41% less likely to be absent due to illness and 17% more productive overall.¹ This means the pathway to better performance often starts with better care.

Unfortunately, many legacy health benefits fail to meet employees where they are. Studies show that more than 50% of employees find their health benefits difficult to understand or use, which limits their ability to engage with care and ultimately lowers the return on investment for employers.⁶ These outdated plans are often too confusing to navigate, too hard to access, or too limited in scope to create meaningful health outcomes.

Why digital health benefits increase engagement

Digital care models offer a new way forward. By combining clinical-grade care with the convenience of virtual access, they remove the barriers that often stop people from getting help. That means employees can proactively address health concerns before they impact their work and employers can see higher engagement, fewer absences, and stronger outcomes.

Sword Health offers an ideal example, delivering personalized musculoskeletal (MSK) and pelvic health care through a digital-first model. Every member is paired with a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy, supported by AI-driven insights and smart sensors. The result is care that’s as effective as in-person physical therapy, but easier to fit into real life.

More than 80% of members complete their full Sword programs, a stark contrast to traditional physical therapy dropout rates.² That high engagement translates into real outcomes: reduced pain, improved function, and stronger performance at work.

Key features that drive engagement

Not all digital benefits are created equal. The most successful programs share a few essential qualities:

• Personalization: One-size-fits-all care doesn’t work. Employees engage more when they feel their treatment is tailored to their needs.
• Convenience: Flexible, virtual access means fewer missed appointments and less disruption to work and life.
• Clinical support: Programs that involve licensed professionals build trust and lead to better outcomes.
• Data transparency: Employers and members want to see real progress. Reporting and outcomes tracking build credibility.

Sword’s platform is designed around these principles. It includes multiple unique programs designed to tackle different healthcare problems, each supporting employers to increase employee engagement and improve health outcomes for employee populations:

• Thrive: Active MSK recovery for ending chronic pain and faster injury recovery
• Move: Structure movement plans to prevent muscle loss, injury, surgery, and chronic pain
• Bloom: Digital pelvic health care designed to help women banish bladder, bowel, and pelvic pain and discomfort
• Predict: The first AI engine built to detect and engage highest-risk members to reduce MSK surgery costs

Proactive care = more engaged employees

Most healthcare costs, and most productivity losses, come from preventable issues that escalate over time.⁶ Engaging employees early through digital health programs helps reduce those downstream problems by addressing health concerns before they become severe and costly.

For example, Sword’s Predict tool identifies at-risk employees before they become high-cost cases. It uses claims data and clinical patterns to surface people who might not even know they’re developing MSK issues. Then it connects them with preventative care that keeps them healthier, longer. This is smart business, as when employees feel supported before problems get worse, they stay more engaged in their roles.

How to boost benefits awareness and utilization

Even the best benefits won’t drive engagement if no one knows about it. That’s why communication and accessibility matter. To improve utilization:

• Promote proactively: Don’t wait for open enrollment. Highlight digital care options in onboarding, team meetings, and employee newsletters.
• Simplify the journey: Use single sign-on, app integrations, and mobile-friendly access to reduce friction.
• Leverage internal champions: Share success stories from employees who’ve benefited from MSK or pelvic health support.
• Track and optimize: Use data to see what’s working and where people drop off. Adjust your communication accordingly.

Sword Health supports all of these efforts with dedicated implementation teams, member support, and employer dashboards that make it easy to promote and track program use.

Measuring impact: how Sword delivers increased engagement

Sword Health removes the barriers that often make it hard for employees to engage with care. By delivering virtual, clinically guided programs that employees can complete anytime from home, Sword makes it easier for members to stay on track. This convenience, combined with expert oversight from Doctors of Physical Therapy, leads to higher adherence and better outcomes.⁶ High engagement with health benefits isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a measurable driver of business performance.

Sword Health has demonstrated:

• 3.2x ROI on MSK care investment³
• 64% reduction in absenteeism among engaged members⁴
• 68% improvement in workplace productivity from Bloom pelvic health participants⁵

These outcomes show that investing in proactive, digital-first healthcare can deliver strong return on investment for employers at scale. Programs like Sword allow companies to unlock more value from their workforce in the form of increased performance, loyalty, and long-term retention.⁶

Pricing tied to results keeps providers accountable

Outcome-based pricing ensures employers only pay when programs deliver real value. With Sword, that means:

• Lower fees for non-engaged members
• Pricing tied to clinical milestones and satisfaction
• Shared incentives for measurable improvement

It’s a pricing model that aligns with finance team expectations and minimizes wasted spend. Employers can finally invest in care with confidence, knowing results are not just possible, they’re guaranteed.

The takeaway for benefits leaders

If you want to improve engagement, start by making healthcare easier to access, more personalized, and clinically sound. When employees can easily engage with care that works, they feel better supported and more equipped to perform at their best. That support translates into deeper commitment, lower absenteeism, and higher productivity.

Sword Health delivers on that promise. Unlike many traditional healthcare and wellness providers, Sword combines clinically-guide digital care with outcome-based pricing that ensures employers only pay for results. With Sword programs like Thrive, Move, Bloom, and Predict, benefits leaders can offer proactive care that improves health and performance, not just participation.

Sword offers a smarter way to help employees become and stay healthier. This is healthcare with a guaranteed return on investment that unlocks measurable value across the workforce.