Wellness Programs A to Z

Establishing an active Health Promotion Committee provides opportunities for both senior management and employee involvement in the wellness program.  The Committee should be a team of workforce and managers who formally meet to plan activities to promote healthier employee life choices.

Typical Functions of a Health Promotion Committee –

• Analyzing needs and interests

• Brainstorming health promotion program ideas

• Creating activities

• Developing communication plans

• Marketing wellness programs to peers

• Serving as champions of the Wellness Programs

• Helping with analysis  

Your Health Promotion Committee must be representative of all levels of the business.  Consider all areas of the workforce – multiple sites, shift workforce, diversity (race, gender, ethnicity), and departments.  

It’s also crucial to consider who’ll chair or co-chair the Wellness Committee and whether or not there are the finances to support a wellness manager or occupational health expert, even on a part-time or contractual basis.  Click here for more information on the benefits of a health expert.  

Depending on your business size and resources, if you already have a business Safety Committee you could want to consider making it the Safety and Health Promotion Committee.  You can request volunteers or invite workforce to participate.  

The number of Wellness Committee members depends on the size of your company; notwithstanding, you need enough members to get the work done and yet not too many to keep it manageable, ordinarily a minimum of 4 members and maximum of 12 to 15 members.  

It’s imperative that you include skeptics of wellness as well and not just those staff members already practicing healthy life choices.  

Depending on your workplace, consider representatives from the following areas –

• Staff Member representatives from a cross section of different departments,

• Upper-Level management ,

• Health and safety professional(s),

• Human resources specialist(s),

• Benefits staff or someone from finance,

• Your staff member assistance program (EAP) provider (if applicable), Click here for more information on EAPs

• Medical or occupational health staff (if applicable).

Establish an effective Wellness Committee!  the Wellness Committee should meet regularly with a planned agenda and action items.  Successful Wellness Committees have a shared mission, vision and objectives.  

Members need to believe that their participation is worthwhile and appreciated, that their work is important, benefits the business and colleagues, and they are recognized for their contributions. Refer to the NC Workplace Programs section for instances of what other organizations have implemented.