Employee Wellness Plans : Assembling a Workplace Wellness Program

Ideally, you will foster an central plan for a Workplace Health Promotion Program before beginning to plan specific wellness programs. By way of example, you can begin by getting the following elements in place:

• support from senior staff
• a Company Wellness Program Committee or group
• information about the wellness needs and interests of workers
• a budget
• program objectives
• an evaluation plan

Even if you have few monetary and/or human resources(HR), you are able to still take a “micro” approach. For example, you could focus on only one specific concern. Creativity, enthusiasm and planning are able to help you overcome limitations.

This article will give you some with some ideas for establishing Workplace Wellness Programs. Even the smallest steps are able to have an effect.

Whether you choose to start with a single program or advance something larger, planning is essential. First consider the big picture and then look after the details.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Ascertain an action. What health-related program will fit the bill and best suit the staff members and corporation?
• Promote. How can you most effectively spread the word to staff members? What opportunities exist for promotion? Consider everything, since staff members have access to and pay attention to different types of messages. In a typical workplace, staff members receive information from e-mail, newsletters, bulletins, brochures, meeting announcements and fellow staff members.
• Deliver. Who is the best person or group to put the program into action? Ask other corporations about approaches they have used. Decide on your budget before making a decision.
• Evaluate. What should you evaluate to determine success? Do you need hard data and/or testimonials from individual participants?

We recommend the following when creating your program:

• planning and communicating clear objectives
• targeting your audience
• deciding on the type of program or campaign

The Elements of a Company Wellness Program

Initiatives to reward wellness in the workplace don’t need to be restricted to one area. You might think workplace wellness only involves promoting positive personal health, e.g., Blood Pressure (BP) clinics, brochures on heart disease, “lunch and learn” sessions on eating habits and short-term physical activity programs.

These activities are important, but workplace wellness ought to also be part of company’s business plan and go beyond traditional programming.

Taking a broader approach, the National Quality Institute recently detailed 3 key elements of a healthy workplace:

• physical environment
• social environment and personal resources
• health practices

Specific Program Ideas

Physical Environment

Look after workers’ health and safety and establish regulations to support their health and safety. Consider offering the following:

• Safe bike storage and shower and/or change facilities for cyclists and other commuters.
• Fridges for workers to keep snacks and meals fresh and/or healthy snacks in snack machines and cafeterias.
• Ergonomic assessments.
• Subsidies to assist employees join local recreation centres.
• Classrooms/conference rooms available for booking activities such as yoga, pilates, tai chi, meditation and aerobics.
• Safe and pleasant stairways that invite workers to use them.
• Assessing the potential for violence at work with plans to deal with such risks.
• Good lighting and sound and air quality.

Social Environment

Human relationships and communication, as well as ways of doing business, have the potential to affect an employee’s mental and physical health. Organizations should consider the following:

• respectful workplace policies that offer safe worksites
• policies on flex time
• policies on working from home
• employee satisfaction surveys
• leadership coaching
• resiliency training
• Employee Assistance Program(EAP)s

To cultivate a positive social culture or climate, consider employees’ needs, which include:

• being respected
• a sense of belonging, purpose and mission
• freedom of expression
• protection from harassment and discrimination

What you’ve “always done” may not address current employee needs. Making sure that individuals enjoy being at work is not an simple task, but making the right changes can have a huge effect.

Health Practices

Provide programs and set policies that help staff members remain healthy or better their health while at work. Consider offering the following:

• “Lunch and learn sessions” on healthy habits such as sleeping better, eating on the run, healthy snacks, using a pedometer, pole walking, work-life balance, time management, stress management, resiliency, parenting and reading diet labels.
• Tobacco cessation clinics or subsidies to help workers quit.
• Health risk appraisals, including fitness assessments.
• Programs to address the problems raised in the health risk appraisals.
• Healthy snacks provided at meetings and conferences.

Personal Corporate Wellness Program Tips

If there is no wellness program at your workplace, do not let that stop you from keeping healthy. Perhaps your example will spark a movement toward a healthier workplace.

Here are a few ideas to consider:

• Be active at work. There are countless ways to bring activity into your workday. Walk to work, even if it’s just one way. Have walking meetings. Bike to work. Use the stairs. Walk to a workmate’s office rather than sending an e-mail.
• Eat smart at work. Pack a healthy snack. Place a bottle of water at your desk or workstation. Eat breakfast and eat regularly during the day. Take turns bringing a basket of fruit for co-workers’ snacks. Order healthy snacks for meetings.
• Maintain work-life balance. Work efficiently so you can leave on time. Conduct short, effective meetings. Leave your work at work and be sure not to take it home. Minimize social chit-chat. Arrange your office to enhance your work. Avoid clutter. Create and prioritize to be sure that the most significant things get done first.

There’s no limit to the number or variety of Company Wellness Programs. A key to success is planning well and ensuring that you can evaluate the outcome so that you can sustain momentum.

Talk to other wellness practitioners to learn what works well for them. Listen to your co-employees to determine their needs and interests. And do not forget to promote, promote, promote.