Cognizant

Diverse benefits and gamification for success: Cognizant

Cognizant is a global IT services and consulting company that addresses its employee wellness needs with a range of targeted employee wellness programmes that focus on participants' physical, mental, financial, and social well-being. These initiatives use the 'ABS' approach of creating awareness, promoting behavioural sustenance, and monitoring success. For example, the 'Be Well' programme covers 370 initiatives covering more than 250,000 employees and their dependents. These programmes involve health experts and professionals from diverse fields who offer employees the guidance and support to prioritise their health.

The 'Cognizant Health Challenge’ is a gamified flagship programme in its seventh consecutive year, wherein 25,000 participants and 2,500 family teams are a part of an eight-week challenge to improve their physical activity, diet, hydration, sleep, and wellness. By creating friendly competition where each location, business unit, team, and individual competed, the company accelerated adoption. Those who emerge as winners also share their approach on internal and external platforms to motivate others. The company's mental and emotional health wellness programmes include diverse initiatives like employee assistance programmes that offer counseling from certified professionals and a dedicated platform to discuss worklife topics such as managing stress, maintaining good health, and solving conflicts. These initiatives have helped Cognizant employees become more aware, engaged, and motivated while improving their health and those of their families.

Cognizant uses several technology platforms and partners to improve employee access and participation. Besides internal platforms, services of third-party providers such as Healthify are used to measure and analyse participation. All webinars, consultations, and sessions as a part of the Employee Assistance programme are held digitally, and over 1900 users have sought professional help through these programmes. Similarly, 1980 expecting mothers enrolled in the Magic of Motherhood (MOM) programme.

All programmes are designed after consultation with diverse stakeholders and partnering with the DEI, LGBTQ, women, and millennial councils. Internal affinity groups help identify expectations, collect feedback, and improve the rollout of specific initiatives. Incentives in rewards, celebrity sessions, and financial health awareness programmes also helped increase motivation. By providing its employees with accessible, creative, and innovative encouragement to prioritise health and using quizzes, concerts, and stand-up performances to educate participants, Cognizant has helped its workforce make healthier changes to their lives.