Group support and encouragement can be very beneficial in assisting personnel make healthy changes. Develop situations, peer groups, or information avenues where the professionalise and experiences of peers can be shared with others. Some ideas for providing onsite support for healthy changes include –
• Employees can be asked to voluntarily submit suggestions, advice, and strategies related to particular healthy practices they have successfully implemented in their lives.
For example, ex-smokers can be asked to submit suggestions about what worked for them when they quit; then those ideas can be shared in newsletters, flyers, classes, etc.
• Topics like weight control, stress management, managing change, increasing exercise, etc. lend themselves to this development of collective wisdom sharing.
• Behavior change support groups, created based on employee interest in making healthful change, can meet regularly to share ideas, resources, support, etc. Wellness programs can offer some help and facilitation in getting a group began.
The group then its self takes charge of keeping the group going. Periodically the health promotion program can offer to bring in a speaker or presenter on a topic relevant to the group.
Make certain to help the group establish ground rules that everyone agrees to before the group is left on its own.
