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Effective wellness programs attempt to create healthy worksite climates. A healthy worksite climate is one which encourages teamwork, cooperation, and empowerment of the individual.

People have a sense of community, a shared vision, and a beneficial outlook. Policies promote and support wellness efforts within the worksite.

• Effective programs identify ways that business policies and business traditions encourage wellness.
• Effective programs work at the group and business level to build support for healthy lifestyle choices.
• Effective programs set clear target goals and objectives for the health improvement of the worksite.

An initial health evaluation can include a survey of staff members’ interests as part of the assessment. Successful wellness programs are designed to meet the needs and interests of the staff members. The information you need to get from a survey is dependent upon the scope of your program. A sample survey can be obtained in the HOPE Publications Web site. If you aim to modify this sample survey or foster your own survey, keep the following hints in mind:

• Ask mostly closed-choice questions, especially if you will be sending the survey to a big number of workers. Closed-choice questions offer specific choices and are simple to tabulate. You may want to use a computer for data entry and analysis.
• Invite comments, opinions and recommendations, or ask open-ended questions at the end of the survey. Open-ended items are more difficult to summarize.
• Include a brief explanatory cover letter with the survey with the signature of the business president. Make sure to include a statement about confidentiality and anonymity.
• Ask a group of representative employees to review the survey before it is distributed. Find out if the questions will be understood by employees and will not be objected to.
• Include demographic information at the beginning or end of the survey. Consider various ways that you might analyze the responses by demographic characteristics (gender, age, shift, site, department, etc.).

When thinking of who should get the survey, a simple rule is if you have under 500 employees, everyone should receive one. The public relations benefit of everyone receiving a survey can be significant. Over 500 employees, a sample of the work population will suffice. A sample saves on expenditures and time. You may want to consider paying a statistician to determine an appropriate sample size for your workplace.

Needs surveys are confidential and anonymous; they do not request information that may identify a person.

Getting reinforcement from management is crucial to the success of the program.

One way to do this is to survey managers (see forms) and conduct interviews with decision-makers in the company. You can use the surveys here or make up your own. If you decide to do your own, keep the survey short. It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes to complete.

The interview process can also serve as a means of educating management. Offer concise fact sheets on the benefits of wellness programs for management. When surveys and interviews are completed, tally the surveys and write brief summaries of the interviews. Offer these reports to management.

Once completed present a brief executive summary to management. Highlight a few interesting findings that can be used immediately to make decisions about the program.

Utilize charts and graphs to make your points. Prepare a detailed report for Workplace Health Promotion Program Committee members itemizing each response. Give a short article about the survey in the company newsletter.

The higher the response the more valid and reliable the results. A minimum response of 40% to 50% is acceptable.

Comprehensive Workplace Wellness Programs involve all staff members, deal with all primary health risks, offers choices, and target both the staff members and the workplace environment; provide periodic evaluation of its outcome.  Comprehensive Workplace Wellness Programs emphasize follow-up and offers backing for the employee as long as he/she is employed. Research studies have shown this approach to be highly thriving. Key components are planning, implementation, and evaluation.

Developing accross the board Employee Health Promotion Programs involve performing a needs and interest assessment, appointing a Employee Health Promotion Program Committee, selecting wellness providers, setting goals/objectives for the corporate wellness program, marketing/promoting the program, and establishing procedures to ensure confidentiality.

Implementation of all-inclusive Corporate Wellness Programs consist of five major tasks:

1.   Health evaluation and referral
2.   Follow-up and counseling staff members
3.   Follow-up with physicians
4.   Health improvement programs
5.   Organizing workplace-wide activities.

Evaluation involves monitoring Company Health Promotion Programs to learn if it is working and to help you refine it. Measuring success shows what you have achieved, helps justify costs, and provides information for management to support continued programming.

Initially introduced by Halbert Dunn in the 1950’s, wellness became a popular buzzword during the late 1970’s and received considerable academic attention in the 1980’s.  Company Wellness Programs for employees became more widespread during the following decade, and credible evidence for their economic viability began to be published.  There have now been over 100 published research studies on this topic and a number of systematic reviews.

Health risks increase costs.  Health Insurance costs escalate with both age and number of risks present.8,10   The number of risks is also strongly related to sick time absenteeism, Worker’s Compensation costs, short-term disability, and reduced work rate (”presenteeism”).

Early Workplace Wellness Programs were relatively basic and typically produced a return on investment of less than one dollar for every dollar spent operating the program (ROI = <1:1).8 Such programs might be characterized as "fun-oriented".  Participation is entirely voluntary, and there is no particular focus on the reduction of specifically identified elevated risks.  Interventions and activities are not personalized, and there is no emphasis on the management of health expenditures.  These programs are typically site-based only, lack options to address all of the major behaviorally-related health risks, and lack multimodal presentation.  Minimal or no incentives/rewards are provided to employees for participation, and services to spouses and family members are not available.  Most such programs lack meaningful assessment.  

More conventional programs are "activity-oriented" and have demonstrated an return on investment of between 1:2.5 and 1:3.5.8 These programs may have a greater emphasis on health and risk reduction, although the efforts are relatively broad and not customized.  They may have some generalized emphasis on health cost management, although not necessarily aimed at specific high risks.  Most are site-based and voluntary, with spouses included only rarely.  Modest incentives/rewards may be utilized to encourage participation.  Formal evaluation may be weak.

The newest and most economically viable programs are "results-oriented" and exemplify the health and productivity management model.  These programs consistently produce return rates of 1:4 or greater within a 12-24 month period.8   Such programs are strongly focused on the reduction of specifically identified elevated risks and the management of health costs.  They are generally voluntary, but use strong financial and other rewards and incentives to promote participation.  They are multi-component in nature (address all major risks), and have both onsite and virtual modalities of operation.  The interventions are highly targeted and individualized, and provided to spouses as well as staff members.

For employers, the expense of offering healthcare insurance for their employees is of great importance.  Those costs have been rising at annual rates between 6 percent and 14%. Chapman's 2007 systematic review reported an average decline in health care costs of 26.5 percent as a result of Employee Health Promotion Programs.  His review covered 60 of the most scientifically valid studies, with an average of 3.77 years of study.

Rates of Absenteeism due to illness is another cost driver.  Chapman's review reports an average decline in sick leave of 25.3%.   Cost for Worker's Compensation was reduced by 40.7%, and disability costs by 24.2%. There is also an emerging literature on the costs of presenteeism (reduced work rate).11,13  In one study, every risk reduced through a wellness program provideed a 9 percent decline in presenteeism (and a 2 percent decline in absenteeism).

Some corporations have achieved a zero percent growth in health care costs across at least brief periods of time.10  Doing so requires 90-95 percent participation of the employee population in focused wellness pushes, with 75%-85 percent of the staff members falling into the low risk category.10  Although robust efforts to reduce the risk status of those in moderate or elevated risk categories must be made, the needs of currently healthy staff members must be addressed as well to avert increases in risk-status.

Given the size of the federal workforce, important cost savings in the government's contribution to medical insurance premiums for employees could be achieved if a majority of that population were participating in active wellness programs.  Similarly, improvements in absenteeism, worker's compensation, disability, presenteeism, and turnover as a result of robust Worksite Health Promotion Programs would provide substantial fiscal advantages for the government.

References

1.   Aldana, Steven G.  (2001)   Financial Impact of Company Wellness Programs:  A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.   Am J Health Promotion 15(5):296-320.
2.   Chapman, Larry.  (1998)   The Role of Incentives in Health Promotion.  The Art of Health Promotion  2(3):1-8.
3.   Chapman, Larry.   (2003)   Biometric Screening in Health Promotion:  Is it Really As Important as We Think?  The Art of Health Promotion  7(2):1-12.
4.   Chapman, Larry.  (2005)   Meta-Assessment of Corporate Wellness Programs Economic Return Studies: 2005 Update.  The Art of Health Promotion, July/August, 1-15.
5.   Chapman, Larry.   (2006)   Employee Participation in Corporate Health Promotion Programs and Corporate Health Promotion Programs:  How Important are Incentives, and Which Ones work Best?   North Carolina Medical Journal   67(6):  431-432.
6.   Chapman, Larry, Lesch, Nancy, and Passas Baun, Mary Beth.   (2007)   The Role of Health and Wellness Coaching in Company Wellness Programs.   The Art of Health Promotion, July/August, 1-12.
7.   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   Proof Positive:  An Analysis of the cost-Effectiveness of Worksite Wellness.  Northwest Health Management Publishing, Seattle, WA.
8.   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   An In-Depth Look at the Economic Evidence for Rewarding Health Behavior Change.   Workshop presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.
9.   Edington, Dee.   (2001)   Emerging Research:  A View from One Research Center.  American Journal of Health Promotion 15(5): 341-349.
10.   Edington, Dee W.  (2007)   Health Management as a Serious Business Strategy.  Presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.
11.   Pelletier, Barbara, Boles, Myde, and Lunch, Wendy.  (2004)  Changes in Health Risks and Work Productivity.   Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(7): 746-754.
12.   Pelletier, Kenneth R.  (2005)   A Review and Analysis of the Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of comprehensive Health and Disease Management Programs at the Job Site: Update VI 2000-2004.  JOEM 47(10)1051-1058.
13.   DeVol, Ross, Bedroussian, Armen, et. al.  (2007)  An Unhealthy America:  The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease.  Report released by the Milken Institute.   www.milkeninstitute.org.
14.   Partnership for Prevention.  (2008) Investing in Health:  Proven Health Promotion Practices for Workplaces.   http://www.prevent.org/images/stories/2008/investinginhealth_finalfinal.pdf.

Organization America is increasingly investing in employee wellness because it is good business.  In order to meet productiveness demands, employers must rely on a healthy, beneficial workforce to succeed in the highly competitive global marketplace.  Over a hundred studies in both corporate and governmental settings have documented the economic advantages of Employee Health Promotion Programs, including reduced absenteeism, reduced injuries and workman’s compensation expenditures, reduced healthcare expenditures, reduced employee turnover, as well as improved productiveness, greater worker satisfaction, and improved morale.1-10  

The more recent literature reflects improvements in wellness programming along with greater return on investment (ROI).  In general, the more focused and intensive the program, the greater advance realized.  To enhance their effectiveness federal government Employee Health Promotion Programs may be able to incorporate some of the features described.  Employee wellness programs established to have beneficial returns on investment often include the following features:

1.   Health and productivity management model
Programs characterized by this model focus attention on identification and reduction of specific risks or behaviors such as smoking, lack of physical activity, excess weight, unhealthy diet, high cholesterol, high Blood Pressure (BP), stress, depression, and so on.  High-risk employees are specifically targeted for intervention, although the most thriving programs also direct efforts towards healthy employees in order to maintain their low-risk status.  This model emphasizes outcomes as opposed to simply offering wellness activities for their own sake.  

2.   Health risk appraisal
Use of a computerized health risk appraisal (HRA) instrument with individualized feedback and recommendations is almost universal in thriving programs.  Workers take the questionnaire annually in a myriad of cases.  The HRA serves to broaden awareness, provide direction, and arouse people to improve specific behaviors.  In some cases, the personalized report is directly linked to appropriate resources related to identified risks.  Research indicates that the use of an HRA is effective if it is followed by some kind of educational or therapeutic intervention for identified risks.  It frequently serves as the entry point into wellness programs.

3.   Biometric Testing
Many programs combine the outcome of the health risk appraisal with measurement of each employee’s biometrics, including weight and Body Mass Index (BMI), Blood Pressure, cholesterol, fasting glucose, and assorted other metrics.  Combining the results of the HRA with biological measures results in a more accurate risk profile.   Computerized health risk appraisals frequently incorporate biometric data in their risk analysis.

4.   Incentives
workers are generally given monetary or other significant rewards for completing an HRA, participation in a program or class, specific accomplishments such as stopping smoking, losing weight, or exercising, and for maintaining healthy status and/or behaviors.  In many cases the monetary incentives/rewards are associated with reductions in medical insurance premiums.  Some programs use disincentives as well as incentives/rewards, such as charging workers who use tobacco higher rates for their medical insurance contribution.

5.   High participation rates
Successful programs use incentives and rewards to drive participation rates up.  They also market their programs extensively, and may use contest or challenge strategies to heighten enthusiasm and encourage participation.

6.   Wellness coaching
workers with identified risks or desire to better their health habits may be periodically coached via phone by trained health coaches.  Wellness Coaching helps workers set and achieve realistic lifestyle-related goals and objectives including those discussing stress, work life balance, smoking, weight, physical activity, and various behavior modifications.  Three or more sessions are generally provided.  In some intensive programs, the coaching extends to actual disease management intervention for workers with identified elevated-risk diseases.

7.   Multiple formats
Programs may offer wellness content in internet based, paper, and seminar formats to offer stimulating variety and alternatives in order to accommodate the needs of all staff members.  In addition to on-Site physical exercise and healthy eating activities, on-line programs, e-mail reminders and notices, printed newsletters and materials, and employer seminars are common dissemination strategies.

8.   Senior Leadership support
Enthusiastic and common endorsement by management is vital to achieving high rates of participation.  When senior executives are wellness role models themselves the effects of endorsement are enhanced.

9.   Frequent contact
Effective programs have common contact of some sort with every employee.  This may be through marketing efforts (e.g., posters, e-mail notices, reminders, or messages, etc.), bulletin boards, newsletters, employee meeting presentations, discussion in new employee orientation, supervisory sessions, etc.   The key is to enhance employee awareness of wellness and health opportunities and reinforce the corporate emphasis on wellness through common and multiple “touches”.

10.   Open enrollment
To promote high participation rates workers must have easy access to the wellness programs and activities.  Open and uncomplicated enrollment processes achieve this.  Some organizations automatically enroll all workers and then allow those who do not wish to participate to “opt-out”.  This practice has been determined to boost enrollment rates in some settings.

11.   Family participation
Many programs bolster spouses and other family members to participate in the business wellness activities and to adopt a healthy lifestyle along with the designated employee.  It is far easier for the employee to have a healthy lifestyle if his/her family does so as well.

12.   Smoking cessation
Because smoking and other tobacco use is the number one threat to health it is vital to offer employees effective and convenient assistance with quitting.  Access to tobacco cessation pharmaceuticals is frequently part of such programs.  In-house programs provide the most convenient access to these services, even though on-line or telephone-based programs may be available as well.  

13.   Exercise Programs
Regular physical exercise is a core component of every wellness program.  Employees must be strongly encouraged to engage in regular physical exercise.  Most programs provide either periodic or continuous workplace opportunities, and some locations have workplace gyms, swimming pools, walking trails, etc.  Discounted or paid memberships to area exercise facilities is a common alternative to workplace facilities.

14.   Weight management
Because obesity is a major threat to health it is imperative that programs offer effective assistance with weight management.  Robust encouragement from management to shed excess weight is significant.  Web-based programs, workplace programs, or discounted access to weight management programs in the community may all be available.  Long-term follow-up is essential for maintenance of weight loss.

15.   Stress management
Workplace stress is perhaps the most common criticism among employees and a major contributor to absenteeism, presenteeism (reduced productiveness), and low morale.  Almost all thriving wellness programs offer assistance with personal and worksite stress.  Some programs refer employees to outside resources for more serious conditions like depression and anxiety disorders, but most offer online or frequent onsite general stress reduction programs.  Some employers endeavor to structure the work environment to minimize stress, both physically and operationally.

16.   Health screenings/immunizations
employees are actively encouraged to complete recommended healthcare screenings for Blood Pressure, cholesterol, BMI, colorectal and breast cancer, and others.  Annual influenza immunizations are also encouraged.  Some sites provide these services at the workplace.  Incentives are often awarded for completion of these screenings/immunizations.

17.   On-Site medical
Actual provision of onsite primary care medical services is a growing trend.  The rapidly escalating costs of medical care insurance for staff members has stimulated this trend.  Some businesses have found that it is less expensive to provide primary care services themselves than to fund those services through health care insurance.  Onsite care also reduces the amount of time staff members would otherwise spend away from the workplace getting such services.

References

1.   Aldana, Steven G.  (2001)   Financial Impact of Company Wellness Programs:  A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.   Am J Health Promotion 15(5):296-320.
2.   Chapman, Larry.  (1998)   The Role of Incentives in Health Promotion.  The Art of Health Promotion  2(3):1-8.
3.   Chapman, Larry.   (2003)   Biometric Screening in Health Promotion:  Is it Really As Important as We Think?  The Art of Health Promotion  7(2):1-12.
4.   Chapman, Larry.  (2005)   Meta-Assessment of Company Health Promotion Programs Economic Return Studies: 2005 Update.  The Art of Health Promotion, July/August, 1-15.
5.   Chapman, Larry.   (2006)   Employee Participation in Company Health Promotion Programs and Company Health Promotion Programs:  How Important are Incentives, and Which Ones work Best?   North Carolina Medical Journal   67(6):  431-432.
6.   Chapman, Larry, Lesch, Nancy, and Passas Baun, Mary Beth.   (2007)   The Role of Health and Wellness Coaching in Corporate Health Promotion Programs.   The Art of Health Promotion, July/August, 1-12.
7.   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   Proof Positive:  An Analysis of the cost-Effectiveness of Job Site Wellness.  Northwest Health Management Publishing, Seattle, WA.
8.   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   An In-Depth Look at the Economic Evidence for Rewarding Health Behavior Change.   Workshop presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.
9.   Edington, Dee.   (2001)   Emerging Research:  A View from One Research Center.  American Journal of Health Promotion 15(5): 341-349.
10.   Edington, Dee W.  (2007)   Health Management as a Serious Business Strategy.  Presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.
11.   Pelletier, Barbara, Boles, Myde, and Lunch, Wendy.  (2004)  Changes in Health Risks and Work Productivity.   Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(7): 746-754.
12.   Pelletier, Kenneth R.  (2005)   A Review and Analysis of the Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of comprehensive Health and Disease Management Programs at the Worksite: Update VI 2000-2004.  JOEM 47(10)1051-1058.
13.   DeVol, Ross, Bedroussian, Armen, et. al.  (2007)  An Unhealthy America:  The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease.  Report released by the Milken Institute.   www.milkeninstitute.org.
14.   Partnership for Prevention.  (2008) Investing in Health:  Proven Health Promotion Practices for Workplaces.   http://www.prevent.org/images/stories/2008/investinginhealth_finalfinal.pdf.

Evaluations determine the outcome of a Corporate Health Promotion Program. They help you discover if your objectives were met. It is a good idea to add an evaluation component to your Corporate Health Promotion Program.

Evaluations may conclude that some interventions didn’t work well. You may learn that a popular Worksite Health Promotion Program costs too much and didn’t really affect employees’ health. While these may not be the outcomes you hoped for, without this information you might continue ineffective interventions. Having this information will help you foster better solutions. When your results are great, it’s magnificent! You can spread the word to staff members and management that your program is achieving its objectives and goals.

Three major areas of an evaluation

• Corporate Health Promotion Program structure – The basic framework of the program
• Workplace Wellness Program process – How well the program is run
• Worksite Health Promotion Program outcomes – Whether the program met the set objectives

Common questions used to evaluate a Worksite Health Promotion Program

Workplace Wellness Program Structure Questions

• What is included in the Worksite Wellness Program? What is the intervention?
• Where does the Company Wellness Program take place?
• How is the Corporate Wellness Program delivered? What content is included?
• Who manages the Corporate Wellness Program?

Corporate Wellness Program Process Questions

• How many people take part?
• Do participants complete the Company Wellness Program?
• Are participants satisfied?
• Which aspects of the Company Health Promotion Program are best attended?

Corporate Health Promotion Program Outcome Questions

• Does the Workplace Wellness Program better knowledge about health issues?
• Does the Worksite Wellness Program change behavior?
• Does the Company Health Promotion Program save the company money?
• What is the return on investment (ROI)?

• Determine through an employee survey what incentives/rewards they value.
• Ascertain what incentives the organization can offer as well as what the budget will allow.
• Be sure that every participant who achieves a objective receives some recognition.
• Avoid offering incentives and rewards for the “best” or the “most.”
• Avoid using food as a reward.
• Use incentives/rewards to encourage your Worksite Health Promotion Program, through logos and branding.

Incentives advocate employees to adopt positive behaviors or maintain an existing positive behavior that may potentially help the employee stay healthy and live longer. Adopting positive health behavior is fundamentally what wellness is about.

Incentives can be used to boost participation rates, help individuals complete a Employee Wellness Program, or help individuals modify or adhere to healthy lifestyles. Providing rewards and incentives and rewards will send an important message to the staff members that your corporation is committed to assisting them with bettering their health. It also plays a important role in motivating individuals to participate.

Tips on how to choose appropriate incentives:

• Identify through an employee survey what incentives they value.
• Determine what rewards and incentives the company can offer as well as what the budget will allow.
• Make sure that every attendant who achieves a intention receives some recognition.
• Avoid offering incentives for the “best” or the “most.”
• Avoid using food as a reward.
• Use incentives/rewards to promote your Worksite Health Promotion Program, through logos and branding.

When creating a accross the board Worksite Wellness Program, make sure that it consists of a variety of awareness, lifestyle modification, supportive environment programs, policies and activities that target risk behaviors, and the needs and interests of the workers. It will be significant to review and revise existing policies governing such areas as smoking sections and the employee cafeteria.

Tips on starting a Employee Health Promotion Program:

• Develop activities based on your planned goals/objectives discussing the specific needs of your workers. Focus on those issues that are of greatest interest to your workers and the greatest needs of your organization, in that order. Avoid issues with narrow appeal.
• Keep it simple. Design the Company Health Promotion Program so it’s simple for the participants to understand and track.
• Integrate a combination of activities to include awareness, educational, and behavior elements.
• Identify activities in which every employee can participate.

Ideas for your Company Health Promotion Program:

• Challenges. Activities that focus on practicing a desired behavior that continues for 4-8 weeks and focuses on specific issues (such as physical activity, diet, or stress management).
• Learning experiences. This includes courses, videos, and classes.
• Behavior changes (such as smoking cessation). You may or may not offer interventions at the workplace. However, you must promote people to make lifestyle changes that they want to make even without an external incentive.
• Education on disease management. For example, support and education groups for diabetes, high Blood Pressure (BP), etc.
• Learing new skills. For example, CPR and first aid.
• Preventive screenings like Blood Pressure (BP), cholesterol, and vision.

Source: Adapted from the Building Healthy Texans Worksite Wellness Toolkit.

Organize goals

Goals are general guidelines that explain what you want to achieve. Objectives define strategies or steps to take to attain the identified intention.

A wellness program must have a “destination”. Use the results of your surveys and your wellness committee’s mission statement as guides. Consider these ideas:

• Focus on making health information and learning resources readily available to workers
• Focus on group activities so workers can work together to support and encourage healthier lifestyles
• Design a wellness program that is visible to both workers and to your customers
• Focus on written policies and guidelines
• Set objectives for your wellness program.

Review Guidelines for Writing Goals.

Goals Should Be

Specific – A objective is specific when it supports a description of what will be accomplished. It will state exactly what the employer intends to accomplish. It should be written so that it can be easily and clearly communicated. A specific objective will make it easier for those writing objectives and action plans to address the following questions:

• Who is to be involved?
• What is to be accomplished?
• Where is it to be done?
• When is it to be done?

Measurable – A objective is measurable if it is quantifiable. To determine if your objective is measurable, ask questions such as: How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

Attainable – You can attain most any intention you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable.

Realistic – Realistic, means “do-able.” The intention needs to be realistic for your business and where the business is at the moment. A intention to take out all the high fat items in the vending machines may not be realistic for your business right now; a better intention would be to substitute some of the chips, candy bars and pies for pretzels, yogurt and dried fruit.

Timely – Finally, a intention must have a timeframe: for next week, in three months, by age 35. It must have a starting and ending point. It ought to also have some intermediate points at which progress can be assessed. Limiting the time in which a intention must be accomplished helps to focus effort toward its performance. If you don’t set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can begin at any time. Without a time limit, there’s no urgency to begin taking action now.

Effective wellness programs are designed to meet the needs and interests of the employees. Ask employees what they are interested in, and what needs they have. People are more willing to participate and support wellness efforts if they are involved in the decision-making process.

When developing a survey, keep the following hints in mind:

• Ask mostly closed form questions, especially if you will be sending the survey to a sizable number of employees. Closed form questions offer specific choices and are simple to tabulate.
• Invite comments, opinions and recommendations, or ask open-ended questions at the end of the survey. Open-ended items are more difficult to summarize.
• Include a brief explanatory cover letter with the survey with the signature of the business president. Make sure to include a statement about confidentiality and anonymity.
• Ask a group of representative staff members to review the survey before it is distributed. Find out if the questions will be understood by staff members and won’t be objected to.
• Include demographic information at the beginning, or end of the survey (gender, age, shift, site, department, etc.).
• Conduct a random drawing for a valued incentive item for all those who returned the survey. This might stimulate the response rate.

One rule to consider concerning surveys is if you have fewer than 500 staff members, everyone ought to receive one. The benefit of everyone receiving a survey can be significant. If you have over 500 staff members, a sample of the work population from each department will suffice. The higher the response, the more valid and reliable the results. A minimum response of 40% to 50% is considered significant.