How Gilsbar Used Data and Recognition to Strengthen Engagement and Build a Culture of Wellness

About

Gilsbar: Established in 1959, Gilsbar is one of the largest, privately-held insurance services organizations in the country.

HQ

Covington, Louisiana

Industry

Insurance

company size

51-200 employees

Woliba Solutions

Full Platform: Wellness Challenges, Recognition, Coaching, Health Data Management, Wellbeing Resources, Surveys, Rewards, Social Feed, Events

Focus Areas

Gilsbar wanted to streamline wellness planning, boost recognition, and create a more connected workplace. With Woliba, they gained access to actionable health data, launched engaging peer and manager recognition tools, and used surveys to gather employee feedback—laying the foundation for a more accountable and engaged culture.

The Challenge

Before Woliba, Gilsbar utilized another vendor for wellness management. This vendor did not allow for creation of custom events or internal surveys, therefore our wellness coordinator would manually track points outside of the system through spreadsheets—coordinating such events as meditation and yoga. Participation was steady, but the approach was time-consuming and disconnected.

Gilsbar wanted more than automation. They were looking for a centralized platform that could:

  • Use employee health data to guide proactive programming

  • Create a culture of appreciation through peer and manager recognition

  • Provide timely feedback through surveys and performance-linked engagement

  • Save time on planning and tracking while building something that employees would actually use

 

To make the most of their new platform, the team set clear SMART goals:

  1. Use health data to plan wellness challenges and events

  2. Increase recognition within the organization

  3. Encourage managers to participate in regular recognition and feedback.

The Solution

Woliba provided Gilsbar with a single, integrated platform that helped them work smarter—not harder—while engaging employees in meaningful, ongoing ways.

Data-Informed Planning
With access to aggregated health insights, the Gilsbar team designed wellness challenges around real needs—boosting both relevance and results.

Built-In Recognition Tools
Employees could recognize peers with shout-outs, badges, and social feed posts—fostering appreciation across departments and leadership levels.

Custom Engagement Surveys
Woliba’s survey tools allowed Gilsbar to conduct tailored annual Employee Engagement Surveys and implement pulse checks to monitor progress – all without depending on manual data gathering.

Easy Challenge & Event Launches
Admins created and managed custom wellness events in-platform, complete with automated reminders, attendance tracking, and engagement reporting.

The Impact

In their first year with Woliba, Gilsbar saw a dramatic shift in participation, culture, and employee sentiment:

  • Challenge participation rose from 55% to 90%, with 73% retention even through seasonal dips

  • 17,055 total activities completed, up from 3,235—a 406% increase in per-user engagement

  • HRA completion climbed from 84% to 100%
  • Social feed posts jumped from 46 to 438, with 300 more in Q1 alone

  • Employees are actively referring coworkers, building grassroots momentum 

The platform not only made participation easier—it made wellness a regular part of the workday.

What’s Next

Continue and Improve

With strong adoption and engagement already in place, Gilsbar is focused on:

  • Planning quarterly wellness initiatives using health data

  • Encouraging peer and manager recognition across all departments

  • Maintaining high engagement across events, challenges, and the social feed 

Woliba now plays a central role in how Gilsbar connects, recognizes, and supports its people.

Key Takeaways

Gilsbar turned a time-intensive wellness program into a high-impact cultural driver—without adding to their workload.

With Woliba, they brought structure, insight, and energy to every aspect of employee wellness and engagement. The result: higher participation, stronger feedback loops, and a more connected, appreciated workforce.

Our last vendor offered basic wellness management services, but with Woliba, we now have a central hub for all wellness-related needs. The user-friendly web and mobile platform has given our employees a one-stop shop for everything wellness. On any given day, you can stroll around the office and spot Woliba on one screen and work on the other.”
— Keslie Smith, Gilsbar

I rate Woliba a perfect 10. They offer a wide range of wellness content suitable for every personality, age, and physical ability. On the admin side, the point tracking, system event creation, automatic point assignment, and reminders have greatly reduced the amount of manual work on my end and number of employee questions.
– Leah Mumford, Gilsbar

Your people are your greatest asset.

Empower them—and your business—with Woliba.

Products

Employee Recognition

Wellness Challenges

Wellness Resources

Employee Engagement Surveys

Employee Coaching & Events

Employee Reward Management

Health Data Management

Solution

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Recognition

Recognition that bolsters company culture, empowers employees, and boosts productivity.