Driving Engagement: How HR Professionals Can Boost Participation in Health Fairs and Biometric Screenings

Employee health fairs and biometric screenings are valuable tools for promoting wellness, identifying risk factors, and encouraging preventative care. Yet despite their benefits, many HR professionals struggle with low participation rates. Time constraints, lack of awareness, privacy concerns, and general disinterest can all prevent employees from engaging with these important wellness initiatives.

The good news? With the right strategy, you can significantly improve turnout and impact. This blog post outlines 10 proven strategies HR leaders can use to increase employee participation in health fairs and biometric screenings—creating a healthier, more engaged workforce in the process.

1. Clearly Communicate the Value to Employees

Employees are more likely to participate when they understand what’s in it for them. Make it clear how health fairs and biometric screenings contribute to:

• Early detection of health issues
• Lower out-of-pocket healthcare costs
• Reduced insurance premiums (if applicable)
• Access to personalized health coaching or wellness programs

Use infographics, emails, intranet posts, and team huddles to highlight benefits in relatable, jargon-free language.

2. Secure Leadership Buy-In and Visibility

When leadership supports a wellness initiative, participation tends to follow. Ask executives and department heads to:

• Personally attend the event
• Record short video messages encouraging participation
• Share their own wellness journeys

Employees take cues from the top—seeing their managers prioritize health sends a powerful signal that it’s not just “another HR event.”

3. Offer Incentives to Drive Motivation

Sometimes, a little external motivation goes a long way. Consider offering:

• Gift cards or wellness-related raffle prizes
• Company swag like water bottles, T-shirts, or fitness trackers
• Lower insurance premiums* or HSA contributions for participants
• Points in your existing wellness rewards program

Make sure the incentives are meaningful enough to spark interest and tied directly to participation, BUT…very importantly, make sure your participatory incentives stay within the legal guardrails of Federal (and some state) laws, most especially HIPAA, ADA, and GINA. *(Participatory incentives are much easier to administer than health-contingent outcomes where incentives cannot exceed a certain percentage of the total cost of employee coverage). Consult with your healthcare broker to ensure your incentives remain compliant.

4. Make Participation Easy and Convenient

Remove any barriers that might prevent participation. Strategies include:

• Hosting the fair or screenings during work hours
• Offering on-site and remote options (e.g., home testing kits or vouchers for labs)
• Using mobile health units to reach distributed workforces
• Allowing employees to register online for specific time slots to avoid long waits

Convenience is key. The easier you make it, the more likely people are to show up.

5. Use Targeted, Multichannel Promotion

Don’t rely on a single company-wide email. Use a mix of:

• Digital flyers on breakroom TVs
• Push notifications on internal apps
• SMS reminders
• Slack or Teams messages
• Table tents in cafeterias
• Printed posters in high-traffic areas

Tailor messages to different segments of your workforce (e.g., desk-based vs. field employees) and start communications at least four weeks in advance with consistent reminders.

8. Ensure Privacy and Confidentiality

Some employees skip biometric screenings due to privacy concerns. Be proactive in addressing these fears:

• Partner with a reputable third-party provider
• Clearly explain what data is collected and how it’s used
• Emphasize that individual results are confidential and not shared with employers

Provide printed and digital FAQs to address common concerns and reinforce trust.

9. Tie Participation to Broader Wellness Goals

Make health fairs and screenings part of a larger, year-round wellness strategy. Link participation to:

• Wellness challenges
• Personalized coaching programs
• Smoking cessation or weight loss programs
• Mental health resources

When employees see screenings as the starting point for ongoing support—not a one-off activity—they’re more likely to engage.

10. Track, Report, and Celebrate Results

After the event, follow up with:

• Participation stats by department
• Key aggregate health trends (e.g., percentage with high blood pressure)
• Testimonials from employees who benefited
• Next steps (e.g., coaching sessions, follow-up appointments)

Recognizing the success of the event reinforces its value and builds momentum for future initiatives.

Additional Considerations for HR Professionals

While the 10 tips above are critical, there are a few broader considerations to keep in mind when launching or scaling health fairs and biometric screenings:

• Diversity and Inclusion: Ensure that promotional materials and event activities are inclusive across age, gender, language, and cultural groups.
• Remote and Hybrid Workers: Don’t overlook remote employees. Provide access to at-home test kits, partner lab locations, or virtual wellness fairs.
• Measurement and ROI: Use metrics like participation rate, risk profile shifts, healthcare claim trends, and employee satisfaction to assess ROI. Many wellness vendors can provide post-event reporting to support these efforts.
• Regulatory Compliance: If incentives are tied to participation (or health-outcomes), you absolutely must ensure compliance with HIPAA, ACA, and other regulations around wellness programs.

Conclusion

Driving higher employee participation in health fairs and biometric screenings requires thoughtful planning, multi-channel communication, and a genuine commitment to employee well-being. When executed effectively, these programs can spark a culture of health, empower employees with critical insights, and even reduce long-term healthcare costs for your organization.

As HR professionals, your ability to connect employees with preventative care resources is more important than ever. Use these strategies not only to boost participation—but to foster a workforce that values and prioritizes its health.

Need help planning your next health fair or biometric screening strategy? Contact our wellness consulting team to learn how HUB can help you maximize employee participation, improve outcomes, and align wellness programs with your organizational goals.