Wellness Programs A to Z

There is no single right way to approach health promotion programs but winning health promotion programs share common success factors. These include commitment from management, employee involvement, adequate resources, and a health policy that goes hand in hand with the company’s mission, vision and values.

Wellness Program –  A Range of Approaches

Although the goal is to eventually have a long-term, robust health promotion program, some corporations prefer to begin with a single program at a basic level.

For  instance, the first steps could be as simple as offering lunch-hour sessions on first aid or healthy eating; or they may launch a pilot project to determine how interested personnel are to ensure personnel needs are being met before taking on anything more ambitious.

This approach provides a chance to show the impact on personnel and the workplace so senior management will be more willing to consider a larger and more far-reaching strategy.

Other corporations plan a selection of health promotion programs to meet the needs of the different kinds of individuals  that make up their workforce.  And some decide to create a sound corporation case, complete with a health strategy, before trying any kind of health promotion program.

Organizations want to ensure that a new wellness program is fully integrated with their overall corporation vision and mission.

Wellness Program –  Success Factors

Regardless of whether your corporation chooses to think big from the outset or to start with something smaller, always rememberthe following key success factors –

• support and participation from management;

• worker involvement in planning;

• wellness programs that meet staff member needs;

• A realistic budget; and

• continuous review.

In sports, a game plan is a series of steps that a team must follow to accomplish its goal of winning. Most winning teams plan to win. Organizations also need game plans, even when they don’t call them by that name.

Good planning will help to ensure that your wellness program happens the way you want it to, and that costs can be identified in advance and kept within budget. Good planning prevents small problems from becoming bigger.

Steps in Developing a Health Promotion Program

Obtain senior management support. You may need to create a business case to convince managers that the health promotion program is a business strategy-that employee health and job satisfaction affects their productivity. Employees need to see evidence that senior management believes in and is committed to employee health.

Establish a planning committee. Members can include representatives from staff member groups as well as from HR, health and safety, and communications.

Collect information.  To prove that your wellness program is beneficial, establish a benchmark before the wellness program starts. You could wish to look at employee satisfaction, absenteeism rates, stress levels, drug costs or WCB costs.

Assess what worksite facilities are available to support personnel to make healthy choices such as showers and change areas or a secure place to store a bicycle. Assess staff member needs through a recent survey or questionnaire, suggestion box or focus group. Communicate the results.

Create the plan to reflect the information gathered. Include health promotion program goals, activities and how you’re going to measure whether your goals were met.

Keep the plan flexible. You may have to change direction in response to staff member feedback or changes in the company’s structure.

Get executive management approval. Support for staff time and a budget are needed.

Put activities in place. Provide a selection of activities that develop awareness, increase knowledge, develop skills, and provide social interaction.

Activities could include walking clubs, participation in national campaigns like Employee Wellness Week, SummerActive, WinterActive, corporate challenge, golf days, and newsletters that provide information about community resources.

Worksites can also make it easier for workforce to make healthful options by providing flextime to allow workforce to fit activity in when it is convenient or by subsidizing health promotion programs in cooperation with community or private fitness facilities. A policy on catering for meetings can ensure that healthful foods are offered.

Evaluate the plan. Share your successes with others, learn from your mistakes and modify activities.

A health promotion program does not have to be complicated or a huge investment. Just do it. Get support from management, bring several committed individuals  together to generate some ideas and get began.