Elevating Employee Engagement at United Franchise Group with YuMuuv

Employee wellness and engagement are critical for fostering a thriving workplace culture. United Franchise Group (UFG), a global leader in franchise development and support, recognized the need to revamp its corporate wellness initiatives to boost participation and create a more inclusive and engaging experience. By partnering with YuMuuv, UFG transformed its wellness program, driving participation rates from 20% to nearly 50% in less than a year and creating a more dynamic and rewarding employee experience.

This case study explores how UFG, led by the Employee Development Team restructured their corporate wellness initiatives using YuMuuv to increase engagement, enhance inclusivity, and align wellness challenges with employee goals.

Background: United Franchise Group and the Wellness Initiative

UFG operates over ten franchise brands, spanning industries from signage and promotional products to Mediterranean cuisine and graze boards also offer support to franchise owners and entrepreneurs who would like to franchise their business. With a workforce of approximately 250 employees across shared services, brand expansion, and franchise support, the company sought to enhance a strong wellness culture that extended beyond traditional incentives.

The initial implementation of YuMuuv had untapped potential, prompting the Employee Development Team to enhance structure and engagement. 

The Transformation: Revamping the YuMuuv Experience

Upon taking over the YuMuuv platform, the Employee Development Team introduced significant improvements to make the wellness program more engaging and inclusive:

1. Custom Wellness Challenges
   1. Monthly challenges focusing on well-rounded wellness initiatives that align with employee goals, incorporating elements of physical activity, hydration, nutrition, and mindfulness.
   2. Annual book reading challenges where participants must submit key takeaways to earn points.
2. Incentivized Participation
   1. Exciting incentives include Apple watches, blender kits, adjustable dumbbells, headphones, and walking desk treadmills.
   2. Quarterly team challenges where employees, randomly grouped across departments, work together to earn team-based rewards like team lunches and outings to encourage team collaboration.
   3. Manual tracking of participation to ensure inclusiveness and effort.
3. Leveraging YuMuuv’s Features
   1. Enhanced use of YuMuuv’s challenge templates such as the wellness points system to track participation and reward effort.
   2. Adoption of the new announcements features for better communication about upcoming challenges, challenge winners, and engagement opportunities.
   3. Integration of Android, Samsung, and iPhone users, ensuring fairness through alternative manual entry options.
4. Improved Engagement & Accountability
   1. Employee engagement nearly doubled, with participation increasing from 20% to 50% in six months.
   2. Personalized outreach to disengaged employees, ensuring those with a company-sponsored seat are actively using the platform.
   3. A structured approach to eliminating inactive users and reallocating seats to those who wish to participate.

Key Results & Impact

The restructuring of the wellness program at UFG has led to several notable outcomes:

• Diverse Challenge Winners: Unlike previous years, where only a few of the same employees consistently won, the restructuring has resulted in different winners each month, including remote and newly hired employees.
• Stronger Team Engagement: The team system has improved cross-departmental interactions, strengthening company culture and collaboration.
• Sustained Employee Motivation: High-quality prizes and a clear incentive structure keep employees engaged and motivated to participate.
• Inclusive Wellness Opportunities: With custom challenge formats, employees with different fitness levels and interests can participate meaningfully.

Opportunities for Enhancements

While YuMuuv has helped to helped to improve UFG’s wellness program, the Employee Development Team identified several areas for potential enhancements:

• Ongoing Android Integration Enhancements: With Health Connect now available for Android users, further refinements in data synchronization could streamline the experience.
• Enhanced Challenge Customization: The ability to customize challenge tiles and include richer descriptions with bold text, bullet points, and images would improve engagement.
• Greater Admin Visibility: Expanding backend tools for administrators to gain insights into user engagement and manual entries.
• More Interactive Features: Incorporating additional communication tools, such as quarterly update calls with YuMuuv representatives, would enhance user adoption and engagement.

Conclusion: A Model for Corporate Wellness Success

UFG’s transformation of its wellness initiatives through YuMuuv highlights the impact of structured engagement, strategic incentives, and customized challenge formats. By leveraging YuMuuv’s flexible platform, the Employee Development Team has successfully built a culture of wellness that continues to evolve and expand.

As UFG considers future expansions with enhancements to the platform, YuMuuv remains a key partner in driving health-conscious habits and workplace camaraderie. This case study stands as a testament to how thoughtful leadership and the right technology can create lasting wellness engagement in the workplace.