As with any program, the two critical elements for the success of your wellness program are senior management support & employee involvement. Senior management sets the vision and provides the resources from which action plans flow. Genuine support from senior personnel also lends credibility to the wellness initiative. It is key that senior management be visible supporters and role models for your workplace wellness program.
Employees need to be involved on several levels so that they feel ownership of the wellness program. Employees are the program stakeholders! All employees should have an opportunity to provide input and feedback through needs & interest surveys and program evaluation tools. The information gathered should be used to plan programs that target those needs and interests to ensure participation, buy-in, and support.
There are several methods to identify employee needs and interests such as:
Any one or combination of several techniques will ensure that the wellness program meets what employees want. Click here for a sample Needs and Interest Survey.
Step 3 provides additional information on determining wellness program needs. But first, establishing a workplace Wellness Committee can help you involve management & employees, determine need, and plan your wellness program.
Establishing an active workplace wellness committee provides opportunities for both management and employee involvement in the program. The Committee should be a team of employees and managers who formally meet to plan activities to promote healthier employee lifestyles.
Typical Functions of a Workplace Wellness Committee:
Your Committee should be representative of all levels of the company. Consider all areas of the workforce – multiple sites, shift workers, diversity (race, gender, ethnicity), and departments. It’s also important to consider who will chair or co-chair the Committee and whether or not there are the finances to support a health promotion manager or occupational health professional, even on a part-time or contractual basis. Click here for more information on the benefits of a health professional.
Depending on your company size and resources, if you already have a company Safety Committee you may want to consider making it the Safety & Wellness Committee. You can request volunteers or invite employees to participate.
The number of Committee members depends on the size of your company; however, you need enough members to get the work done and yet not too many to keep it manageable, usually a minimum of 4 members and maximum of 12 to 15 members. It’s important to include skeptics of wellness as well and not just those employees already practicing healthy lifestyles.
Depending on your worksite, consider representatives from the following areas:
Establish an effective Committee! The Committee should meet regularly with a planned agenda and action items. Successful Committees have a shared mission, vision and goals. Members need to believe that their participation is worthwhile and appreciated, that their work is important, benefits the organization and co-workers, and they are recognized for their contributions. Refer to the NC Workplace Programs section for examples of what other companies have implemented.
Before you begin planning your workplace wellness program you need to know where you are now and then decide where you want to go. Completing a thorough needs assessment is vital to the success of your wellness program for two reasons: First it ensures that your program activities will be targeted to meet your company’s specific needs so that outcomes can be achieved. Secondly the needs assessment provides the information you will need to evaluate the effectiveness of your wellness program.
It is often tempting to rush the assessment - especially when time is limited or those with experience already have an idea of needs. Do not give in to this temptation! It is vital to understand what your company needs are, what management expects, and what employees want as well as expect, before you create a program.
Consider and gather data on:
There are many ways to assess this information. Although some of data gathering process may be time consuming, remember that it is nonetheless essential to plan programs that target specific issues. This information will be critical to set goals and for evaluating program success. How else can you know if outcomes have been achieved?
Options to help gather the information:
Once your needs assessment is complete, the Wellness Committee can review the results and begin planning and prioritizing program options. Planning should be based on goals and identified outcomes, Step 4 of the seven step process!
A workplace wellness program without goals and objectives is somewhat akin to taking a family trip without any planning; you won’t know where you’re going, how to get there, what you want to do once you have arrived, or even whether or not you have arrived! The trip may end up ok, or it may end up disastrously. Yet, with a little thoughtful planning, you increase your chances for a successful experience. Clear goals and objectives are needed to plan your wellness program in order to ensure success!
Wellness program goals and objectives are different from one company to another depending on the population, needs, interests and resources. However, well thought out objectives based on your company’s needs assessment will form the foundation of a successful wellness program!
Mission StatementThe first consideration is a mission statement for your workplace wellness program. The mission statement is the overall expression of what the Workplace Wellness Committee wants to accomplish by implementing a wellness program. It is important to consider how your Wellness Program fits in with the company mission statement, contributes to the overall mission and supports the company bottom line. This will integrate your efforts throughout the company operations.
Here are some examples of Wellness Program mission statements:
“At XYZ Company, maintaining an environment that supports employee health and safety is our underlying value. It is the mission of the Wellness Program to assist in developing health promotion services that fosters and upholds that value.”
“It is the mission of the XYZ Workplace Wellness Committee to foster healthier lifestyle choices to reduce health risk factors, improve overall well-being, and maintain a productive, active work force.”
GoalsThe goals and objectives further define your mission and are based on your needs assessment. Depending on the needs assessment, management expectations and employee interests, examples of goals can include:
The goal(s) of XYZ workplace wellness program in year XXXX is to: (one or more of the following examples)
Objectives Specific objectives help meet your long-term goals and vision. Both short term and long term objectives should be developed as the stepping stones to accomplish the goals and mission. In addition to objectives for the expected participant outcomes, process objectives should also be developed for the program process itself. For example, process objectives may include how many employees you want to participate in the programs, how many sessions on a topic will be offered, the type of wellness sessions that will be implemented, etc.
Objectives need to be easily measurable within a set time frame. Try using the SMART formula to create both your long and short-term goals and objectives:
Specific (one behavior or outcome) Measurable (one result that can be observed or evaluated), Attainable (but also challenging), Realistic (do you have the resources to achieve?), and Time specific (within 3 months – up to 5 years)
This is the who, what, when, where, why, and by how much method. For example, an objective for a weight loss program that has an overall goal of improving healthy eating and promoting a healthy weight is that:
Participants (who) will lose an average of .5 – 1 lbs per week (specific what that is measurable) at the end of the 12 week lunchtime program (time specific what, when and where) for a minimum of 6 lbs weight loss per participant (attainable and realistic).
Or:
Participants (who) will attend 11 of the 12 sessions (specific what that is measurable) and name at least one healthier eating change at the end of the program (specific what, when, where)
An example of an objective for coaching employees with elevated cholesterol might be:
To reduce the total cholesterol (specific what) of high risk employees with cholesterol over 240 mg/dl (specific who) to 200 mg/dl (measurable how much) through one-on-one counseling sessions offered at the worksite (where) by X date (ex, after 6 months) (attainable, realistic & time specific when) to lower the risk factor for heart disease (why).
And one last example of a process objective for a smoking cessation program with an overall goal to assist participants in committing to quit for life:
By the end of the 4-week smoking cessation program, 10% of the participants will have quit smoking. Each participant will be contacted at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months from the program’s end to determine quit status (process objective) and 10% of those who quit will still be smoke free after one year.
You have now completed Steps 1 through 4, including establishing your Wellness Committee. It is now time to plan your wellness activities!
The Workplace Wellness Committee should set out a plan for the entire year that outlines accomplishing goals and objectives, as well as provides details for marketing and evaluating the program. The plan is the detailed map of what types of programs will be offered, when and where they will be scheduled, how they will be marketed and evaluated, and what the budget is. It is important to plan your wellness activities based on your goals and objectives, as well as the budget since different strategies will yield different outcomes. For example, if your objective is to increase awareness on a topic, then distributing pamphlets or scheduling a one-time education session may be appropriate. However, if your goal is to change behavior, then different strategies may be necessary, such as ongoing weekly sessions and support groups. Click here to link to Program Design Options for additional ideas.
MarketingThis is the time to plan your marketing strategies! How can you market the wellness program and ongoing activities? No matter how you decide to, market often, keep it fresh, and remind employees again and again! Consider having an overall kickoff activity to let everyone know about the wellness program. Senior Management should provide the introduction or invitation so that all employees are aware of their support and leadership in the program.
Possible marketing methods:
Other considerations:
Sample Common Health Promotion Topics most often included in Workplace Wellness Programs:
The topics and type of program planned depend on the needs and interest, overall goal and resources available. Program Design Options include awareness programs such as pamphlets and/or education sessions, behavior change or modification programs such as smoking cessation and weight loss classes, and environmental or organizational support such as no smoking policies or healthy selections in vending machines.
The programs planned also depend on the demographics of your workforce. If you have a young, healthy workforce, you may want to focus the wellness attention on keeping employees healthy and not need to screen for disease. Instead you might want to focus on healthy lifestyle behavior such as exercise and good nutrition to prevent the start of disease. Click here for more information on strategies for keeping employees well, identifying disease early, or returning employees to work who already have a chronic disease.
For additional ideas refer to Quick Wellness Program Ideas and NC Workplace Programs.
It is also important to consider, and plan how you will evaluate the success of your wellness program. The system needs to be established for tracking certain data and recording events depending on the program goals and desired outcomes. Step 7 discusses program evaluation in more detail. And Step 6 will launch your program!
Armed with data, program topic preferences, goals, and objectives – and a workplace wellness committee rearing to get things done – it is now time to decide how best to take action. This website provides tools to help you! You can read about the different types of wellness programs offered by other companies to get an idea of what might work for your company. There are Statewide Resources listed as well as national non-profit groups offering resources, and specific examples of resources available on various wellness topics. In addition, keep looking under Steps to an Effective Program for ideas to get you started!
Refer to NC Workplace Programs for examples of what other companies have implemented. If your planning phase was well executed, you should simply have to follow through with the plans you have already made.
Important considerations include:
1. Formally Introduce the Workplace Wellness Program and consider policy statements that state the importance of the wellness program. Examples include a general policy regarding the commitment to employee health and safety as well as specific policies such as No Smoking, Healthy Eating and Physical Activity.
2. Communicate Your Program: The best planned program with great wellness programs will not be beneficial if your employees don't know about it or do not understand the options or how to participate. Communicate your wellness program using a variety of methods to ensure the message and "how-to's" are heard!
Communication Strategies could include:
3. Use Incentives: You will be amazed to find out what people will do for a free T-shirt. Incentives can both support and motivate participation among employees. Consider both formal or company incentives and informal or program rewards/prizes from local resources to reinforce participation in workplace wellness programs. Either way, it’s important to provide incentives that are attractive and meaningful to your employees.
Company Structural or Formal Incentives:
Rewards/Prizes or Informal Incentives:
4. Assess community resources available to provide some of the wellness services. The local health department or your company healthcare provider may be able to assist you with this information. There are also vendors throughout the State providing excellent wellness services for companies. They are available to help you strategize and find the best options available.
5. Implement your program as planned documenting information and outcomes as you go such as numbers of participants, dates of activities, and any other special details you are tracking.
Program evaluation may be the last step, but it should be planned at the beginning of your efforts! Evaluation helps you identify what parts of the program are working well and what parts need improvement. Then, based on the evaluation data, adjustments can be made to fine-tune your wellness program. Adjusting the program based on evaluation data is critical to its continued success.
Evaluating your program does not have to be complicated. HOWEVER, it is important to plan how you will monitor your wellness efforts and determine success during the planning phase or Step 5. Also remember to evaluate the program based on the goals and objectives you already identified during your planning process.
In order to evaluate your program you need to have a system to document specifics as you go along. This can be as simple as maintaining file folders on programs that are offered, or a computer document with a table or spreadsheet summarizing information collecting. Consider:
Depending on your goals and objectives, gather desired data and compare it to previous data collected during the initial assessment to determine if the goals were met. Such data might include
Summarize and Report Results Once you have collected all of the evaluation information it needs to be reviewed with the Wellness Committee and summarized. You will probably have positive results and some areas where a change is needed or additional focus required for continuous improvement. This not-so positive information can be used to make any needed changes as well as to plan for next year and is important to include in your report.
It is important to communicate the wellness program results to both management and employees. Consider how management usually receives reports on operations and productivity issues and include the annual wellness program report in the same format. At some companies the reports are made during management meetings using presentation styles such as power point slides. At other companies, graphs and bar charts are the norm or a list of the objectives and the summary outcomes reported.
No matter the format, it’s important to convey the outcomes and successes achieved, including any anecdotal stories, as well as areas for improvement. Be sure to link the outcomes to the company mission and bottom line whenever possible.
Employees want to receive the same information! Consider using the same communication channels used when informing employees of the wellness program:
Also consider celebrating successes and recognizing achievements by:
Summary These Seven Steps outline considerations for a comprehensive approach to establish an effective wellness program. Can you implement components of wellness activities without following these steps? Certainly, but you may not have the sustainability or ability to obtain desired outcomes. Following the Seven Steps does not have to be complicated or burdensome. A very simple approach can achieve a successful wellness program!
Therefore, to ensure a successful wellness program consider the key components as you plan your program or improve your current program: