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, staff member involvement, adequate resources, and a policy concerning health that goes hand in hand with the corporation’s mission, vision and values.
Wellness Program – A Range of Approaches
Despite the fact that the goal is to eventually have a long-term, extensive wellness program, some organizations prefer to begin with a single program at a basic level.
For instance, the first steps may be as simple as offering lunch-hour sessions on first aid or healthy eating; or they may launch a pilot project to figure out how interested staff are to ensure staff needs are being met before taking on anything more ambitious.
This approach provides a chance to show the impact on employees and the worksite so upper management are going to be more willing to consider a bigger and more far-reaching strategy.
Other businesses plan a selection of health promotion programs to meet the needs of the different kinds of people that make up their workforce. And some decide to develop a sound corporation case, complete with a health strategy, before attempting any kind of health promotion program.
Corporations want to ensure that a new wellness program is fully integrated with their overall organization vision and mission.
Health Promotion Program – Success Factors
Whether or not your business chooses to think big from the outset or to begin with something smaller, always keep in mindthe following key success factors –
• support and participation from management;
• staff member 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 do not call them by that name.
Good planning will help to ensure that your health promotion program happens the way you want it to, and that costs may be identified in advance and kept within budget. Good planning avoids small problems from becoming bigger.
Steps in Creating a Wellness Program
Obtain executive management support. You may need to create a business case to convince managers that the wellness program is a business strategy-that staff member health and job satisfaction affects their productivity. Employees need to see evidence that executive management believes in and is committed to staff member health.
Establish a planning committee. Members can include representatives from worker 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 begins. You might wish to look at staff member satisfaction, absenteeism rates, stress levels, drug costs or WCB expenditures.
Assess what worksite facilities are available to support workforce to make healthy options like showers and change areas or a secure place to store a bike. Assess staff member needs through a recent survey or questionnaire, suggestion box or focus group. Communicate the results.
Develop the plan to reflect the information accumulated. Include health promotion program goals, activities and how you’re going to measure whether your goals were met.
Keep the plan flexible. You could have to change direction in response to employee feedback or changes in the company’s structure.
Get upper management approval. Support for staff time and a budget are needed.
Put activities in place. Give a selection of activities that create awareness, increase knowledge, create skills, and provide social interaction.
Activities could include walking clubs, participation in national campaigns such as Employee Wellness Week, SummerActive, WinterActive, corporate challenge, golf days, and newsletters that provide information about community resources.
Worksites can also make it easier for staff members to make healthful options by providing flextime to allow staff members to fit activity in when it’s 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 wellness program doesn’t have to be complicated or a gigantic investment. Just do it. Get support from management, bring several committed people together to generate some ideas and get started.
