Connecting onsite, hybrid and remote employees takes more than a wellness app. Discover how human coaching, personalized programming and shared experiences can help turn wellness benefits into meaningful employee engagement.

Workplace wellness has never been more accessible. Digital platforms offer employees on-demand fitness classes, wellness education, health tracking, virtual programs and other resources they can access almost anywhere. Yet for many employers, a familiar challenge remains: How do you get employees to actually use the wellness benefits you provide — and keep them engaged over time?

The answer may have less to do with adding more resources and more to do with creating meaningful connections. In our new research-backed white paper, Bridging the Wellness Engagement Divide: Connecting Onsite, Hybrid and Remote Employees, AM Wellness Coaching explores how employers can combine the convenience of digital wellness with the motivation, accountability and personal connection that help employees build lasting healthy habits.

The Workplace Wellness Engagement Gap

Making a wellness program available doesn’t guarantee employees will participate. A 2025 meta-review of digital workplace wellness programs found that, in the limited studies measuring initial uptake of digital workplace mental health programs, an average of just 11% of targeted employees started participating. Where adherence was reported, the average was 54%.

Although these findings came from a small number of studies and should not be generalized to all workplace wellness programs, they highlight a challenge facing employers: access alone doesn’t create engagement. Employees need relevant choices, encouragement and opportunities to participate in ways that fit their lives.

Why Human Coaching Still Matters in a Digital World

Technology makes wellness resources accessible across locations and schedules. But when motivation fades, a goal feels unrealistic or a new habit becomes difficult to maintain, a notification may not be enough. Human wellness coaches can help employees overcome barriers, adjust goals and stay accountable.

Research suggests this combination can be particularly valuable. A 2025 systematic review of digital health coaching described a study in which participants who completed coaching spent more than twice as much time using the digital platform as other participants — approximately 175 minutes compared with 78 minutes. While the study does not establish that coaching alone caused the difference, it illustrates the potential value of combining digital resources with real human support.

Connecting Employees Wherever They Work

Hybrid and remote work have added another dimension to workplace wellness. An onsite employee may enjoy a lunchtime fitness class, while a remote colleague needs on-demand programming. A shift worker may prefer flexible scheduling, and someone beginning a wellness journey may benefit from personal guidance before joining a group activity.

An effective employee wellness program recognizes these differences without sacrificing connection. Shared challenges, team goals, virtual programming and human coaching can help employees participate in ways that suit their individual circumstances while still feeling part of a larger workplace community. The goal isn’t identical programming for everyone. It’s meaningful opportunities for everyone.

What You’ll Learn in the Free White Paper

Bridging the Wellness Engagement Divide examines research and practical strategies for building a more inclusive, connected and measurable employee wellness program.

Download the white paper to explore:

• Why wellness engagement falls short: Understand the difference between providing access, encouraging initial participation and sustaining employee involvement.
• The value of human wellness coaching: Explore research on motivation, supportive accountability and the role of real coaches in digital wellness programs.
• How social connection supports participation: Learn how team challenges, shared goals and inclusive leaderboards can bring onsite, hybrid and remote employees together.
• Strategies for equitable wellness access: Discover how to accommodate different schedules, abilities, interests and levels of readiness.
• What employers should measure: Look beyond registrations to evaluate activation, repeat engagement, employee sentiment and program outcomes.
• How to evaluate your existing program: Use the included Hybrid Wellness Program Planning Checklist to identify strengths, gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Build a Wellness Program Employees Want to Use

A successful workplace wellness strategy is not simply about offering more content, another app or an occasional onsite event.
It’s about connecting employees with resources that matter to them, people who can support them and experiences that make participation worthwhile. Technology creates reach. Human connection helps turn that reach into engagement.

Download AM Wellness Coaching’s free white paper to explore the research, strategies and practical evaluation tools that can help your organization bridge the wellness engagement divide.