A Chinese company recently introduced a policy that employees at Guangdong Dongpo Paper Co. could earn a 133% bonus if they completed 100 kilometres (62 miles) of running every month. The system was simple. Employees tracked their runs, logged their distance, and the more they moved, the more they earned. Some praised the initiative for encouraging healthier lifestyles. Others criticised it as unrealistic. But this actually points to a much deserving topic of health.

Why does rewarding health feel so unusual in the workplace? Because if we think about it carefully, companies already reward almost everything else. We reward performance, meeting targets and productivity. But when a company says, “We also want to reward physical well-being,” suddenly it feels controversial. That discomfort says a lot about how modern workplaces think about health.

Health Has Always Affected Performance

Whether organisations acknowledge it or not, healthier employees generally perform better over time. This does not mean every fit person becomes a top performer nor does it mean that health determines professional value. But it does mean that physical well-being influences:

• Energy levels
• Focus
• Mental clarity
• Consistency
• Stress management
• Long-term productivity

A sleep-deprived, exhausted and burned-out workforce cannot sustain high performance forever. Still, most companies continue treating health as a completely personal issue. Just as organisations invest in tools that improve efficiency, investing in employee wellbeing can strengthen workforce performance.

Why Health Incentives Feel Controversial

The Chinese company’s policy sounds radical because most organisations are still operating with an outdated model: Health is the employee’s responsibility and performance is the only company’s concern.

But in reality, the two are deeply connected. Even with the clear connection between wellbeing and performance, health-related rewards often generate discomfort as hey challenge long-standing assumptions about the relationship between employers and employees.

The controversy is not necessarily about the reward itself. It is about changing what organisations choose to value.

The Chinese company's running challenge brought criticism for valid reasons. A system that rewards employees solely based on running distance creates several concerns.

1. It Excludes Different Physical Abilities:

A “100 km monthly running target” is not practical for everyone. Some employees may have physical disabilities, chronic health conditions, age-related limitations or temporary injuries.

1. It Assumes One Activity Fits Everyone:

Running is beneficial for many people, but it is not the only path to health. Some employees may prefer walking, cycling, swimming, yoga, sports or dance.

1. It Risks Creating Unhealthy Competition:

When financial rewards become tied to physical activity, employees may feel pressured to push themselves beyond healthy limits. This can result in overtraining, exercise-related injuries and even manipulated fitness data.

1. It May Be Financially Unsustainable:

Large-scale bonuses tied to health achievements can create budgeting challenges. If participation is high, costs increase and the company itself may struggle to sustain the model.

These concerns highlight an important point that the challenge is not whether companies should encourage health. The challenge is designing systems that are fair, inclusive and sustainable.

What Should We Reward?

Organisations should shift their focus away from rewarding specific outcomes and toward rewarding healthy behaviours. The goal should not be to identify the fittest employees but to encourage habits that support long-term wellbeing.

For example, rewarding someone for completing a marathon may only benefit a small group of highly active individuals. Rewarding someone for consistently engaging in healthy activities is more inclusive.

Instead of forcing one extreme target, organisations could create flexible wellness systems. For example: Offer multiple paths to wellness as health looks different for different people. An effective wellness program should provide employees with options rather than imposing a single activity. They should also reward consistency over intensity. They should also encourage team-based wellness goals as it improves team bonding, collaboration and positive workplace culture.

One of the most significant limitations of wellness programs is their narrow focus on physical activity. But health is not just physical. Mental and emotional wellbeing play an equally important role in workplace performance. Companies should also include support for stress management, access to therapy and mindfulness training.

As a healthtech leader, I believe that organisations that truly value wellbeing must address both dimensions. And maybe one day, rewarding health will feel just as normal as rewarding sales targets.

Now, what do you think if companies started treating health as a measurable, rewardable outcome just like performance?