Wellness Program Blog

Successful health promotion programs are designed to meet the needs and interests of the staff members. Ask staff members what they are interested in, and what needs they have.

People  are more willing to participate and support wellness efforts when they are involved in the decision-making process. Review the sample employee survey provided below.

Staff Member Interest Survey – can be edited (http – //www.ibx.com/pdfs/custom/worksite_wellness/corporation_tools/employee_interest_survey.doc)

When developing a recent survey, keep the following hints in mind –

• Ask mostly closed form questions, particularly if you’ll be sending the survey to a big number of employees. Closed form questions provide specific choices and are easy to tabulate.

• Invite comments, suggestions and recommendations, or ask open-ended questions after 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 certain to include a statement about confidentiality and anonymity.

• Ask a group of representative personnel to review the survey before it’s distributed. Find out when the questions will be understood by personnel and will not be objected to.

• Include demographic information at the starting, 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 could increase the response rate.

One rule to consider concerning surveys is if you have fewer than 500 employees, everybody should receive one.  The advantage of everybody receiving a recent survey could be significant. If you have over 500 employees, a sample of the work population from each department will suffice.

The higher the response, the more exact and reliable the results. A minimum response of 40 percent to 50 percent is considered valuable.

A vital first step in organizing your company’s health promotion program is the formation of a wellness committee.  The focus of the wellness committee is to plan, promote, and implement the health promotion program.

The committee establishes continuity, motivation, and wide ownership of the wellness program in addition to provides an excellent car for communication.

So who must be on the committee? Consider appointing the following people /departments to your committee –

• upper-level management within your organization

• Union representatives

• Human resources (HR)  department

• Employee assistance program

• Information technology

• Communications

• Health and safety department

• Staff Members interested in wellness

Building a successful wellness program requires staff time in addition to money. Some larger corporations may spend 20 hours per week for three to six months preparing all the steps before launching a wellness program.

Anywhere from 4 to 10 individuals  meeting monthly equals a wellness committee. A mission statement for the committee ought to be created by the second meeting. This way, everyone knows what the committee is working toward.

Once a wellness program has been established, the committee’s size and meeting schedule may change. Still, no fewer than 4 members ought to meet at least quarterly so the group – and the wellness program – doesn’t fade away.

Support from upper management is essential to building a successful wellness program! Visible upper management support is one of the most crucial factors in the success of a workplace Health Promotion Program.

Senior level management executives are responsible for making sure that the business meets its goals. They can provide additional assistance by assisting you to link your Wellness Program goals to business outcomes, thereby positioning Wellness Program as a fundamental part of the business.

It’s imperative that you develop support and excitement for the health promotion program from all levels of the organization including upper-level management, mid-level management, and grass-root staff.

The challenge for any Wellness Program coordinator is convincing senior management about the potential value of Wellness Program to the corporation and conceptualizing how wellness programs can impact the corporation in a meaningful manner.

The American Journal of Health Promotion is a great resource to assist you with obtaining convincing information on the advantages of a Health Promotion Program.

Health Promotion Program support from executive management can come in many different ways –

• Involvement in the planning process

• Distribution of funding for the health promotion program

• Support for time given to the wellness program

• Participation in wellness events

• Leadership by management, such as the distribution of a letter of support for the wellness program.

• Download a sample letter requesting upper-level management support. (http – //www.ibx.com/pdfs/custom/workplace_wellness/corporation_tools/sr_mgt_support.doc)

• Flexibility of employee schedules to accommodate wellness activities

The first step in developing your wellness/Wellness Program is to understand your company and how Wellness Program will fit into the current structure.

By researching your organization’s history with similar health promotion programs and eliciting feedback from peers, you can find the best solution for your organization.

Health Promotion Program –  Research Questions

• Find out when Health Promotion Program has been done in the past. If so, what worked and what did not?

• Was it commonly accepted?

• Was health promotion programming successful? Why or why not?

• What does your corporation hope to gain from beginning a Health Promotion Program?

Answers to these questions will help you begin the process of building a culture of wellness within your company. It’s very important that you assess the environment before beginning a health promotion program.