Posted by Health Handouts | Posted in Health Handouts, Health Tips | Posted on 09-08-2009
Ideally, you will foster an central plan for a Company Wellness Program before beginning to plan specific wellness programs. By way of example, you are able to start by getting the following components in place:
• backing from senior staff
• a Corporate Health Promotion Program Committee or group
• information about the wellness needs and interests of staff members
• a budget
• program objectives
• an assessment plan
Even if you have few monetary and/or human resources(HR), you can still take a “micro” approach. For example, you could focus on only one specific concern. Creativity, enthusiasm and planning can help you overcome limitations.
This article will give you some with some ideas for setting up Workplace Wellness Programs. Even the smallest steps are able to have an effect.
Whether you choose to begin with a single program or cultivate something larger, planning is critical. First consider the big picture and then look after the details.
Ask yourself these questions:
• Ascertain an action. What health-related program will fit the bill and best suit the staff members and business?
• Promote. How can you most effectively get the word out to staff members? What are the opportunities for promotion? Consider everything, because staff members have access to and pay attention to different types of messages. In a typical workplace, staff members get information from e-mail, newsletters, bulletins, brochures, meeting announcements and fellow staff members.
• Deliver. Who is the best individual or group to put the program into action? Ask other employers about approaches they have utilized. Solidify your budget prior to making a decision.
• Review. What must you evaluate to determine success? Do you need hard data and/or testimonials from individual participants?
We recommend the following when planning your initiative:
• organizing and communicating clear objectives
• targeting your audience
• deciding on the type of program or campaign
The Elements of a Worksite Health Promotion Program
Programs to reward wellness in the workplace don’t need to be restricted to one area. You might think workplace wellness only involves promoting positive personal health, e.g., Blood Pressure (BP) clinics, pamphlets on heart disease, “lunch and learn” classes on eating habits and short-term physical activity programs.
These activities are valuable, but workplace wellness should also be part of organization’s business plan and go beyond traditional programming.
Taking a broader approach, the National Quality Institute recently detailed three key elements of a healthy workplace:
• physical environment
• social environment and personal resources
• health practices
Specific Program Ideas
Physical Environment
Look after workers’ health and safety and establish regulations to support their health and safety. Consider providing the following:
• Safe bike storage and shower and/or change facilities for cyclists and other commuters.
• Fridges for staff members to keep snacks and meals fresh and/or healthy snacks in vending machines and cafeterias.
• Ergonomic assessments.
• Subsidies to assist staff members join local recreation centres.
• Classrooms/conference rooms available for booking activities such as yoga, pilates, tai chi, meditation and aerobics.
• Safe and pleasant stairwells that invite employees to use them.
• Assessing the potential for violence at work with plans to deal with such risks.
• Good lighting and sound and air quality.
Social Environment
Human relationships and communication, as well as ways of doing business, are able to affect an employee’s mental and physical health. Businesses must consider the following:
• respectful workplace policies that offer safe worksites
• policies on flex time
• policies on working from home
• employee satisfaction surveys
• leadership coaching
• resiliency training
• Employee Assistance Programs
To develop a beneficial social culture or climate, consider employees’ needs, which include:
• being respected
• a sense of belonging, purpose and mission
• freedom of expression
• protection from harassment and discrimination
What you’ve “always done” may not address current employee needs. Making sure that individuals enjoy being at work is not an easy task, but making the right changes can have a huge influence.
Health Practices
Offer programs and set policies that help workers remain healthy or better their health while at work. Consider offering the following:
• “Lunch and learn sessions” on healthy habits such as sleeping better, eating on the run, healthy snacks, using a pedometer, pole walking, work-life balance, time management, stress management, resiliency, parenting and reading diet labels.
• Stop smoking clinics or subsidies to help staff members quit.
• Health risk appraisals, including fitness assessments.
• Programs to address the issues raised in the health risk appraisals.
• Healthy snacks offered at meetings and conferences.
Personal Worksite Wellness Program Tips
If there is no wellness program at your worksite, do not let that stop you from keeping healthy. Perhaps your example will spark a movement toward a healthier workplace.
Here are a few ideas to consider:
• Be active at work. There are a myriad of ways to bring exercise into your workday. Walk to work, even if it’s just one way. Hold walking meetings. Bike to work. Use the stairs. Walk to a workmate’s office instead of sending an e-mail.
• Eat smart at work. Pack a healthy meal. Keep a bottle of water at your desk or workstation. Eat breakfast and eat regularly during the day. Take turns bringing a basket of fruit for co-workers’ snacks. Order healthy snacks for gatherings.
• Maintain work-life balance. Work efficiently so you have the potential to leave on time. Conduct short, effective meetings. Leave your work at work and be sure not to take it home. Minimize social chit-chat. Arrange your office to enhance your work. Avoid clutter. Plan and prioritize to ensure that the most significant things get done first.
There’s no limit to the number or variety of Workplace Wellness Programs. A key to success is planning well and ensuring that you can evaluate the outcome so that you can sustain momentum.
Talk to other wellness practitioners to learn what works well for them. Listen to your co-employees to determine their needs and interests. And do not forget to promote, promote, promote.