Posted by Health Handouts | Posted in Health Handouts, Health Tips | Posted on 08-08-2009
Many organizations recognize the need for a comprehensive strategy to help their workers be the best they can be. They also know that successful and sustainable wellness programs are much more than a few “lunch and learn” programs.
Your wellness program should include a wide range of key elements, including:
• A clear agenda or statement of objectives and goals.
• A plan characterized by passion.
• A strong leader who is creative and organized.
• A focus on short-term outcomes combined with an overall vision.
• A measurable plan (what’s valuable gets measured!).
• A policy of celebrating and communicating success.
Planning Your Worksite Wellness Program
Create carefully to ensure that your wellness program is seen as part of a broad commitment to maintaining the health and safety of each employee. Yes, creating a good plan takes much effort and time (and sometimes resources). But planning is important and well worth the expenditure required. As the addage goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail.”
You might begin by conducting a survey of employee needs and interests. If you do this, pay attention to the results and plan accordingly. If you do not, the staff members will not support the program.
Gathering information about what you’re already offering is also a good idea. By way of example, you may be surprised by your corporation or organization’s current wellness and health policies.
Another valuable step is to create an agenda and/or measurable goals/objectives to help you outline priorities, timelines and the resources required to kick off the program. Be bold and creative in your planning, but also realistic.
Senior Management
The leader of your wellness program must be able to wear many hats. The leader’s duties include:
• Implementing a vision of the wellness program after receiving input from all interested workers.
• Communicating ideas and a rationale throughout the company (to senior managers and fellow employees alike).
• Keeping others enthusiastic about and committed to a wellness program.
• Serving as a role model and wellness coach.
• Implementing and maintaining leadership skills such as giving effective presentations and being well-organized.
Good leaders avoid becoming overwhelmed by overly ambitious and complex plans. You may want to stick to short-term goals at the beginning so that you get immediate and visible results. These first steps are the basis for a successful wellness program.
Good leaders involve as many individuals as possible in the program. By way of example, you’ll want to form a Employee Health Promotion Program Committee made up of a diverse group of workers to offer advice during the planning phase. This approach will:
• Assist you to get important information from all parts of the corporation.
• Design ambassadors who will help you implement the wellness program.
Keeping Score and Celebrating
Always keep in mind how you will monitor progress and evaluate the success of your wellness program. Evaluation allows you to:
• Ascertain areas of excellence.
• Identify factors that affect participation in your programs.
• Grasp management’s reinforcement for your efforts (and maintain that reinforcement).
• Better understand issues that need attention.
• Learn from mistakes and change the program to keep it on the right track.
When you evaluate your program, you are able to measure such things as:
• Employee absences.
• Employee turnover rates.
• The cost of your Employee Assistance Program.
• The cost of benefits, including short-term and long-term disability payments.
• The cost of your drug plan.
• Accident rates and safety records.
• Employees’ participation in wellness programs (and whether they’re staying in the programs).
• Changes in employees’ health habits.
• Level of employees’ awareness of healthy lifestyle issues.
• Results of your environmental wellness audit.
• Other noticeable changes in areas such as morale and job satisfaction.
A great communications plan supports ongoing information to employees (including senior managers) and creates excitement about the wellness program. Positive reinforcement is critical in an effective communications plan. By way of example, you might recognize people who have helped established the program or offer tangible rewards for achieving objectives and goals.
Everyone needs to know whether employees are getting involved, enjoying the activities and getting some profit from them. Showing that a wellness program has economic benefits is frequently an valuable factor in maintaining strong support from the top.
If you focus on the key elements of your wellness program and communicate openly and continuously while planning and delivering it, you will lay a solid foundation and leave a legacy that lasts.