Corporate wellness program and employee wellness program information, tips and resources

We are planning company health promotion programs to help you feel better and stay healthful. So that you can plan health promotion programs that best meet your requirements and interests we’d like your suggestions!

Please take several minutes to answer some questions about your interests. Your answers are going to be combined with those of other’s and reviewed to help plan wellness programs for you. Don’t sign your name.

Please complete the survey today and return it to__________. Thank you for your valuable input! Your help is important for planning successful wellness programs. Return the completed form by _____________.

Rate your interest on a scale of 1 – 3 with one (1) being of little or no interest; two (2) being of some interest and three (3) indicating that you’re very interested. Indicate your response by circling or “Xing” the number.

I’m interested in

Participating in health promotion programs before work 1 2 3

Participating in wellness programs after work 1 2 3

Participating in health promotion programs during my lunch break 1 2 3

Learning healthful consuming options to lose weight 1 2 3

Sports nutrition 1 2 3

Healthier cooking 1 2 3

Assisting my children eat healthier 1 2 3

Quick, healthful meals for busy life choices 1 2 3

Healthy snack options 1 2 3

Learning how to quit use of tobacco 1 2 3

Attending classes to help me quit tobacco use cigarettes 1 2 3

Stress Mangement skills 1 2 3

Balancing work, family, and personal life 1 2 3

Time management skills 1 2 3

Participating in a starting fitness program 1 2 3

Developing time to exercise for busy people  1 2 3

Getting medical information that I can read or watch at home 1 2 3

Learning about cancer avoidance 1 2 3

Heart health options 1 2 3

CPR and First Aid 1 2 3

Team sports activities at work 1 2 3

Learning how to stretch 1 2 3

Learning how to raise intake of fruits and vegetables 1 2 3

Parenting Topics (age of children –  ) 1 2 3

On-Site exercise classes –  walking Yoga aerobic other –  1 2 3

Biometric screening like blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar 1 2 3

Program evaluation could  be the last step, but it should be planned at the starting of your efforts! Analysis helps you identify what parts of the wellness program are working well and what parts need improvement.  

Then, based on the analysis data, adjustments may be made to fine-tune your wellness program.   Adjusting the wellness program based on analysis data is vital to its continued success.  

Analyzing your health promotion program does not need to be complicated.  HOWEVER, it’s vital that you plan how you will monitor your wellness efforts and determine success during the planning phase.  

Moreover remember to evaluate the health promotion program based on the goals and goals you already identified during your planning process.  

So that you can evaluate your health promotion program you need to have a system to document specifics as you go along.  This could be as easy as maintaining file folders on health promotion programs that are offered, or a computer document with a table or spreadsheet summarizing information accumulating.  Consider

o Program topic and numbers of personnel who participated

o The numbers of pamphlets taken by workforce or distributed and on what topics

o The number of participants in a behavior change program and how many met their goals as well as how many attended all the sessions

o Numbers of workforce who continued the healthful behavior change following the health promotion program?

o Overall employee satisfaction with the health promotion program or each topic. Here is a sample examination form.  

Depending on your objectives and objectives, gather desired data and compare it to previous data accumulated during the initial assessment to determine when the objectives were met.  Such data might include

o Absentee rates

o Injury rates

o Health risk factors Insurance costs  

Summarize and Report Wellness Program Results

Once you’ve gathered all the analysis information it needs to be reviewed with the Health Promotion Committee and summarized. You’ll probably have positive results and some areas where a change is needed or additional focus required for continuous improvement.  

This not-so positive information could be used to make any needed changes in addition to to plan for next year and is crucial that you include in your report.  

It is vital that you communicate the health promotion program results to both upper management and workforce.  Consider how upper management generally receives reports on operations and productivity issues and include the annual health promotion program report in the same format.  

At some corporations the reports are made during upper management meetings using presentation styles such as power point slides.  At other corporations, graphs and bar charts are the norm or a list of the objectives and the summary outcomes reported.  

No matter the format, it is important to convey the outcomes and successes achieved, including any anecdotal stories, in addition to areas for improvement. Be certain to link the outcomes to the business mission and bottom line whenever possible.

Workers want to receive the same information!  Consider using the same communication channels used when informing workforce of the wellness program

o Business newsletters,

o Bulletin boards,

o E-mails  

Additionally consider celebrating successes and recognizing achievements by

o Posting pictures from events

o Highlighting success stories

o Posting pictures of successes

o Scheduling a celebration

o Recognizing champions  

Armed with data, Health Promotion Program topic preferences, objectives, and objectives – and a Health Promotion Committee rearing to get things done – it’s now time to decide how best to take action.  This website provides tools to help you!  

You may read about the different types of wellness programs offered by other corporations to get an idea of what might work for your company.  

When your planning phase was well executed, you should simply have to follow through with the plans you’ve already made.  

Important Health Promotion Program considerations include

1. Formally Introduce the Health Promotion Program and consider policy statements that state the importance of the health promotion program.  Examples include a general policy regarding the commitment to worker safety and health as well as specific policies such as No Smoking, Healthful Consuming and Exercise.

2. Communicate Your Program –  the best planned health promotion program with great health promotion programs will not be advantageous if your workers don’t know about it or don’t understand the choices or how to participate.  Communicate your health promotion program using a variety of methods to ensure the message and “how-to’s” are heard!

Wellness Program Communication Strategies could include

o Newsletter articles

o Postings on the organization’s intranet or internet

o A designated Champion of the health promotion program

o Formal or informal meeting to announce wellness program, “the kick-off”

o handouts / table tents,

o Bulletin boards / kiosk where all material is promoted or found,

o Email / phone messages,

o Mailings or distributions  

3. Use Health Promotion Program Incentives –  You’ll be amazed to determine what people  will do for a free T-shirt.  Incentives can both support and motivate participation among staff.  

Consider both formal or corporation incentives and informal or health promotion program rewards/prizes from local resources to reinforce participation in Wellness Programs. Either way, it is vital that you provide incentives that are attractive and meaningful to your staff.

Company Structural or Formal Wellness Program Incentives

o Discounts on staff member health insurance plan rates or co-pays, or contributions to 401K programs, staff member stock options, or other mechanisms.  Click here for more information on health plan incentive ideas

o Health Club/Health Club discounts or enrollment fee coverage

o Public transportation vouchers

o Flexible work time options

o “Health Promotion Days” off work  

Rewards/Prizes or Informal Wellness Program Incentives

o Cash – a very effective incentive!

o Prize incentives like gift certificates to heart healthful restaurants; music player to use while exercising, emergency kits, or any other prizes that would motivate your personnel.

o T-Shirts, water bottles, or other affordable rewards

4. Assess community resources available to provide some wellness services.  The local health department or your corporation health care provider could  be able to assist you with this information.  You will find also vendors throughout the State providing great wellness services for businesses. They’re available to help you strategize and find the best choices available.

5. Implement your health promotion program as planned documenting information and outcomes as you go like numbers of participants, dates of activities, and any other special details you’re tracking.

The Wellness Committee should set out a plan for the entire year that outlines accomplishing objectives and objectives, in addition to provides details for marketing and advertising and reviewing  the wellness program.

The plan is the detailed map of what kinds of wellness programs are going to be offered, when and where they’ll be scheduled, how they’ll be marketed and assessed, and what the budget is.  

It is imperative that you plan your wellness activities based on your objectives 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 flyers or scheduling a one-time education session could  be appropriate.  

Notwithstanding, if your goal is to change behavior, then different strategies could  be necessary, such as ongoing weekly sessions and support groups.  Click here to link to Program Design Options for more ideas.

Wellness Program Advertising

This is the time to plan your marketing and advertising strategies! Exactly how can you market the wellness program and ongoing activities?  No matter how you decide to, market often, keep it fresh, and remind staff members again and again!  

Consider having an overall kickoff activity to let everyone know about the wellness program. Upper Management should provide the introduction or invitation so that all staff members are aware about their support and leadership in the wellness program.

Possible advertising methods

o Sending email messages, including reminders

o Posting flyers,

o Displaying bulletin board postings,

o Writing articles,

o Sending letters or

o Sending special invitations.  

Other Health Promotion Program Considerations

o Is the wellness program promoted to all staff or to a specific target audience?

o Do you’ve a wellness program champion (someone who’s connected with different groups in the organization, and well respected) who may help in your promotion efforts?

o If your advertising and marketing efforts do not seem to be working, do you have a way to revisit and adjust your strategy?

o Exactly how will you determine success and evaluate your wellness program?  and how will you collect the information needed to evaluate your wellness program?  

Topics most often included in Wellness Programs

o Nutrition

o Exercise/Exercise

o Tobacco Use Cessation

o Bone Health

o Heart Health

o Healthy Back

o Stress Reduction

o Chronic Disease Awareness and Prevention

o Self-care; Wise Healthcare Consumer

o Screening Services (Body Mass Index (BMI), blood pressure, bone density, cholesterol, glucose, posture, vision, and other…)

o Ergonomic Assessments

o Wellness Fairs

o Kids/family Events

o Others topics that personnel have interest in  

The topics and kind of Health Promotion Program planned depend on the needs and interest, overall goal and resources available.  

Program Design Options include awareness programs like flyers and/or education sessions, behavior change or modification programs like tobacco use cessation and weight loss classes, and environmental or organizational support like no tobacco use policies or healthful selections in vending machines.  

The health promotion programs planned also depend on the demographics of your workforce. When you have a young, healthful workforce, you might want to focus the wellness attention on keeping staff members healthful and not need to screen for illness.  

Instead you could want to focus on healthful way of life behavior like exercise and good nutrition to prevent the start of illness.  Click here for more information on strategies for keeping workers well, identifying illness early, or returning workers to work who already have a chronic condition.

It’s also imperative that you consider, and plan how you’ll evaluate the success of your health promotion program.  The system needs to be established for tracking certain data and recording events depending on the health promotion program objectives and desired outcomes.  

Step 7 discusses health promotion program investigation in more detail.   and Step 6 will launch your health promotion program!

A Health Promotion Program without goals and goals 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’ve arrived, or even whether or not you’ve 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 objectives and objectives are needed to plan your health promotion program in order to ensure success!

Health Promotion program objectives and objectives are different from one corporation to another depending on the population, needs, interests and resources. Nonetheless, well thought out objectives based on your company’s needs assessment will form the foundation of a successful wellness program!

Wellness Program Mission Statement

The first consideration is a mission statement for your Wellness Program.  The mission statement is the overall expression of what the Wellness Committee wants to accomplish by beginning a wellness program.  

It’s imperative that you consider how your Wellness Program fits in with the organization mission statement, contributes to the overall mission and supports the organization bottom line.  This will integrate your efforts throughout the organization operations.  

Here are some examples of Health Promotion Program mission statements

At XYZ Business, maintaining an environment that supports employee health and safety is our underlying value. It is the mission of the Health Promotion Program to assist in developing wellness services that fosters and upholds that value.

It’s the mission of the XYZ Health Promotion Committee to foster healthier way of life options to reduce health risk factors, improve overall well-being, and sustain a productive, active work force.

Wellness Program Goals

The objectives and objectives further define your mission and are based on your needs assessment.  Depending on the needs assessment, senior management expectations and staff member interests, examples of objectives can include

The goal(s) of XYZ Wellness Program in year XXXX is to –   (one or more of the following examples)

o Reduce absenteeism by one day per employee

o Lower musculoskeletal injuries by 10%

o Decrease unnecessary emergency room visits

o Decrease or contain health care costs

o Improve dietary habits of employees

o Reduce health risk factors  

Health Promotion Program Objectives

Specific Health Promotion Program objectives help meet your long-term objectives and vision.  Both short term and long term objectives ought to be developed as the stepping stones to accomplish the objectives and mission.  

In addition to goals for the expected participant outcomes, process goals should also be developed for the wellness program process itself.  For example, process goals could include how many staff you want to participate in the wellness programs, how many sessions on a topic will be offered, the kind of wellness sessions that will be implemented, etc.

Objectives need to be easily measurable within a set time frame. Attempt using the SMART formula to develop both your long and short-term objectives and objectives

o Specific (one behavior or outcome)

o Measurable (one result that may be observed or examined),

o Attainable (but also challenging),

o Realistic (do you’ve the resources to achieve?), and

o Time specific (within 3 months – up to 5 years)  

This is the who, what, when, where, why, and by how much method.  For  instance, an objective for a losing weight program that has an overall goal of bettering healthful consuming and promoting a healthful weight is that

Participants (who) will lose an average of .5 – 1 lbs per week (specific what that is measurable) after 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 could  be

To reduce the sum cholesterol (specific what) of high risk staff members 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 and time specific when) to lower the risk factor for heart disease (why).  

And one last example of a process objective for a use of tobacco 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 percent 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 percent of those who quit will still be smoke free after one year.

You’ve now completed Steps 1 through 4, including establishing your Wellness Committee. It’s now time to plan your wellness activities!

Before you start planning your Wellness Program you need to know where you’re now and then decide where you want to go.  Completing a thorough needs assessment is vital to the success of your health promotion program for two reasons  

o First it ensures that your wellness program activities will be targeted to meet your corporation’s specific needs so that outcomes may be achieved.  

o Secondly the needs assessment provides the information you will need to evaluate the effectiveness of your health promotion program.

It’s often tempting to rush the assessment – namely when time is limited or those with experience already have an idea of needs. Do not give in to this temptation!  

It’s vital to understand what your business needs are, what upper-level management expects, and what workers want in addition to expect, before you develop a wellness program.  

Consider and gather data on

o Demographic Information

o Health Risk Factors

o Medical Claims

o Injury Rates and Causes

o Workers’ Compensation Claims

o Short and Long Term Disability Claims

o Absenteeism

o Culture Audits

o Worker perceived needs and health risks

o Management expectations or desired outcomes

You will find numerous ways to assess this information. Even though some of data gathering process could  be time eating, remember that it’s nevertheless essential to plan wellness programs that target specific issues.  

This information will be vital to set objectives and for reviewing  wellness program success. Just how else can you know if outcomes have been achieved?

Options to help gather the wellness program information

o Confidential Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs) with a Business Group Summary Report click here for additional information on Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs) or Assessments

o Biometric Screenings like cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar click here for additional information on medical testings.

o Worker Needs and Interest Surveys

o Suggestion boxes placed around the corporation

o Focus Groups or hosting a luncheon meeting as a focus group

o Sending out a confidential email questionnaire

o Review records and databases including OSHA logs, first aid reports, insurance costs  

Once your needs assessment is complete, the Health Promotion Committee can review the results and start planning and prioritizing health promotion program options.  

Creating ought to be based on objectives and identified outcomes, Step 4 of the seven step process!

Establishing an active Wellness Committee provides opportunities for both executive management and employee involvement in the health promotion program.  The Committee must be a team of employees and managers who formally meet to plan activities to promote healthier employee lifestyles.

Typical Functions of a Wellness Committee

o Investigating needs and interests

o Brainstorming wellness program ideas

o Creating activities

o Developing communication plans

o Marketing health promotion programs to colleagues

o Serving as champions of the Wellness Programs

o Helping with evaluation  

Your Health Promotion Committee must be representative of all levels of the company.  Consider all areas of the workforce – multiple sites, shift personnel, diversity (race, gender, ethnicity), and departments.  

It’s also important to consider who’ll chair or co-chair the Wellness Committee and whether or not there are the finances to support a wellness manager or occupational health expert, even on a part-time or contractual basis.  Click here for additional information on the advantages of a health expert.  

Depending on your organization size and resources, if you already have a organization Safety Committee you might want to consider making it the Safety and Wellness Committee.  You may request volunteers or invite workers to participate.  

The number of Health Promotion Committee members depends on the size of your company; nonetheless, you need enough members to get the work done and yet not too many to keep it manageable, ordinarily a minimum of 4 members and maximum of 12 to 15 members.  

It is important to include skeptics of wellness as well and not just those employees already practicing healthful lifestyles.  

Depending on your workplace, consider representatives from the following areas

o Staff Member representatives from a cross section of different departments,

o Upper-Level management ,

o Health and safety professional(s),

o Human resources specialist(s),

o Benefits staff or someone from finance,

o Your employee assistance program (EAP) provider (if applicable), Click here for more information on EAPs

o Medical or occupational health staff (if applicable).

Establish an effective Wellness Committee!  the Wellness Committee ought to meet regularly with a planned agenda and action items.  Successful Wellness 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 corporation and colleagues, and they are recognized for their contributions. Refer to the NC Workplace Programs section for instances of what other companies have implemented.

As with any wellness program, the two critical elements for the success of your wellness program are senior level management support and employee involvement. Upper-level management sets the vision and provides the resources from which action plans flow.  

Genuine support from senior management also lends credibility to the health promotion program. It is key that senior management be visible supporters and role models for your Wellness Program.

Employees need to be involved on a few levels so that they feel ownership of the health promotion program. Employees are the health promotion program stakeholders!  

All employees should’ve an opportunity to provide input and feedback through needs and interest surveys and wellness program examination tools.  The information collected must be used to plan wellness programs that target those needs and interests to ensure participation, buy-in, and support.

You’ll find a few methods to identify staff member needs and interests like

o Conducting Worker Focus Groups

o Discussing Wellness Interests During Department Meetings

o Distributing and Summarizing a Needs and Interest Survey

o Including an Opportunity to Give Suggestions on Each Analysis Tool  

Any one or combination of several approaches will ensure that the health promotion program meets what staff members want.  Click here for a sample Needs and Interest Survey.

Step 3 provides additional information on deciding health promotion program needs.  But first, establishing a Health Promotion Committee could help you involve upper management and workers, determine need, and plan your health promotion program.

Health Promotion Program Step 1 – Be certain to set the Foundation

Build Support Among All Levels of the Organization

A key to a successful Health Promotion Program requires management commitment and employee involvement.

Health Promotion Program Step 2 –  Form a Health Promotion Committee

An active Health Promotion Committee ensures staff member involvement, provides buy-in, senior management support, and maintains a crew that is ready to act to integrate wellness programs.

Health Promotion Program Step 3 –  Gather Data to Identify Key Needs and Expectations

The next crucial component is to base the Wellness Program on the needs and interests of your business and its employees.

Wellness Program Step 4 –  Establish Objectives and Goals

Goals and objectives are the road maps to guide you where your program needs to go.   These are the foundation for planning and reviewing  activities to ensure that your wellness program is going to meet your unique needs.

Health Promotion Program Step 5 – Create a Detailed Action Plan

There is no such thing as over planning!  the best of intentions can get lost, overstepped, or forgotten without adequate planning, and then it’d be all for naught.

Health Promotion Program Step 6 – Pick and Implement a Plan

Armed with the needs assessment information, a Health Promotion Committee, and goals and goals, it’s now time to put your plan into action!

Health Promotion Program Step 7 –  Monitor and Evaluate Your Health Promotion Program

Investigation is a necessary step to keep a wellness program on target, in addition to to ensure that the wellness program is reaching its objectives or achieving the desired results.

Summary

These Seven Steps outline considerations for a robust approach to establish an effective wellness program. Can you implement components of wellness activities without following these steps?  

Certainly, but you might 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 health promotion program!

Consequently, to ensure a successful health promotion program consider the key components as you plan your health promotion program or improve your current health promotion program

o Senior Management Support and Worker Involvement

o Active Wellness Committee

o Wellness Program is Based on Worker Needs and Interests

o Goals and Objectives are Established

o Detailed Action Plan Based on Resources and Budget

o Wellness Program Implementation and Internal Marketing

o Analysis of Wellness Program Outcomes

The health promotion program design choices depend on the objectives and desired outcomes of your health promotion program. When your goal is to help personnel change behavior, reduce risk factors, or save health care dollars then your health promotion program would be designed to accomplish those outcomes and a budget would be necessary to support that design.  

You’ll find different health promotion program design levels depending on desired outcomes and budgets.  Each level has advantages and disadvantages.  The intentions or results are quite different, aren’t interchangeable in terms of obtaining the same results, and consequently should not be confused.  

For example, scheduling activities such as an staff member wellness fair or lunchtime education sessions, or having flyers available don’t normally result in behavior change, but might increase awareness on a topic.  

If the goal is behavior change then a different design is required, such as Lifestyle/Behavior Change Programs and Organizational Support.  The outline below describes the wellness design levels with a brief explanation.

Awareness Programs –   at this level a business makes medical information available and accessible to personnel.  This kind of wellness program can include pamphlets on a variety of topics, wellness articles in newsletters, bulletin board displays, e-mail health messages, etc.  

Additionally, most wellness fairs are created as awareness programs with vendors providing information and providing medical testings to workforce.  

Awareness programs are inexpensive and do not require comprehensive employee or company time commitments. However, these wellness programs do not generally result in healthier behavior change.  

Increasing awareness isn’t ordinarily enough to generate lifestyle changes for most individuals, unless used to motivate staff members to register for a health promotion program being offered at the business or community on the topic.  

An example of this would be providing information on the harmful effects of smoking and inviting staff who smoke to register for a smoking cessation class.

Education Programs –   Educational wellness programs often provide more information on a topic and can also provide time for questions and answers, but are similar to awareness wellness programs.  An example is lunch-n-learn sessions on a medical topic.  

These cost the organization a little more than awareness programs; nevertheless, they’re still low cost and don’t require a excellent deal of time for planning or attending a session.  

Once again,  increasing awareness and providing information may not lead to the desired behavior change unless ongoing support or incentives are also planned.

Lifestyle/Behavior Change Programs –   These health promotion programs are intended as 4 to 12 weekly sessions or workshops to provide wellness education, address barriers and provide opportunities to practice the desired skills.  

Behavior change programs hence require more corporation resources, cost more, also require more staff member commitment, time and effort.  The results are often the desired positive lifestyle change, which if sustained can lead to potential cost savings.  

Examples are use of tobacco cessation classes, weight loss and weight management meetings, or an ongoing fitness program.

Environmental and Organizational Support –   Environmental support is often considered the highest and most critical level to include when designing your wellness program to support and maintain healthful behaviors.  

These types of design options include policy changes like

o Creating a tobacco-free workplace

o Designating a walking path,

o Establishing onsite health and fitness centers,

o Ensuring healthy vending machine selections,

o Providing healthy food choices in the cafeteria, and/or

o Establishing flex-time policies.  

Other examples include subsidizing healthful vending machines or cafeteria choices; reimbursing fitness club or weight loss and weight control program memberships; or providing insurance incentives for healthful behaviors.

Ideally, the health promotion program design would include some of all these options.  The more comprehensive and integrated the approach, the more successful the results will be.  For  instance, a corporation can

o have smoking cessation information available;
o can schedule a one hour awareness session on the harmful effects of use of tobacco and how to quit;
o can start an onsite tobacco use cessation program,
o supply self quit tobacco use kits, or
o support personnel to attend a community program; and/or
o on an environmental support level can establish a smoke-free workplace and grounds,
o offer lower insurance policy rates for non-smokers, or
o provide pharmacological quit smoke aids for free.

Wellness Program –  Components for Success

There are several key components or elements that should be considered to ensure the success of your Wellness Program or wellness program.  These include  

o Upper Management Support and Worker Involvement

o Active Wellness Committee

o Program is Based on Worker Needs and Interests

o Goals and Objectives are Established

o Detailed Action Plan Based on Resources and Budget

o Program Implementation and Internal Marketing and Advertising

o Evaluation of Outcomes and Program