You can be the catalyst for a healthier workforce – and a healthier company – by launching a robust wellness initiative in 2015. Your program may be the first and only factor leading employees to a greater interest in a healthier lifestyle both at work and at home.
For your organization, the payoff comes in terms of enhanced job satisfaction and morale, as well as dollars-and-cents savings on:
- Health insurance.
- Short and long-term disability.
- Worker’s compensation.
- Retention and your employer value proposition.
Making it Work
Winning employee health initiatives share these commonalities:
- Senior management commitment. Develop a business case that illustrates the sound strategy behind a health initiative. This includes a realistic budget.
- Employee buy-in and involvement. This can be accomplished both informally and through organized meetings. Begin by surveying your workforce regarding their current health and wellness needs.
- Adequate resources. Factor in dedicated staff as well as necessary work areas, equipment and support materials. If you want more than a “program on paper,” your company needs to commit to wellness as an investment in the future, just as they would other key functions.
Have a Planning Team
A cross-departmental planning team that also includes representatives from HR, safety and communications is key to launching your successful health initiative. Collaboratively, they should be charged with collecting relevant employee wellness data and developing a plan that reflects information gathered.
- Be sure the team is truly representative of your workforce. For instance, pay employees from back shifts to attend meetings so they can provide key input for making the program work 24/7. Include all business centers and units, as well as support and administrative departments.
- Establish benchmarks before your program begins. Look at such factors as employee engagement and satisfaction, absenteeism rates, stress levels, drug costs and comp expenses.
- Have a communications plan. Develop the most effective means and media for informing employees about your program. Reach them through the venues and platforms they use on and off the job. Social media, mobile devices, intranet updates and more traditional newsletters, bulletin boards and on-floor flip charts all should be factored into communications planning. Zero in on what works best for each workforce segment.
Offer a Varied Menu of Options
Your wellness program should incorporate a variety of activities that create awareness and build knowledge, as well as developing skills and providing social interaction.
- Base your choices on employee feedback. Walking clubs and pedometers, an on-site gym, corporate challenge events, golf tournaments, smoking cessation and weight management challenges. What are they looking for? What’s realistic and achievable for them? Make it personal and make it count.
- Champion healthy eating. So much depends on making the right food choices. You need to do the same thing as an employer who’s serious about your commitment to employee health. Serve nutritious foods at meetings and events and offer better options in your cafeteria and vending machines.
Evaluate and Improve
Regularly monitor and evaluate the success of your program. This allows you to identify areas of excellence and factors that impact participation. You can effectively learn from your mistakes, better understand issues that need attention, and build for your program’s long-term sustenance. Because the last thing you need is a “flavor of the month” when it comes to supporting your employees’ good health.
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