Keys to developing a successful employee wellness program

When businesses are considering developing an employee wellness program there are certain keys that will help it be more successful. Using these keys to plan and organize your employee wellness program can make the difference between a successful employee wellness program and one that quickly fades away.Some of these keys to success are:

• Get management on board. No matter how well organized or well funded the employee wellness program is if it is missing the active support of management it is very unlikely that it will thrive within the company. You must present the upper levels of management with the information and details that are necessary to help them understand the importance of an employee wellness program.In addition you must incorporate their actions into the wellness programs.A "do as I do" approach is critical to the success of a company-wide employee wellness program.
• Put together a team to administer the program. This should include several individuals from all levels throughout the company. They will be in charge of the development and the administration of the wellness program.
• Collect all of the pertinent information that will drive your corporate wellness programs. Once your wellness team is in place and management is on board, it is then time to gather baseline information to help assess staff wellness interests and health risks. The results of your data collection will assist you in what kind of wellness initiatives to provide the employees of your company. This process can involve a survey of staff interest in various corporate wellness programs, health risk assessments, and claims review to determine current staff disease risk.
• Plan ahead and develop a yearly operating plan. For your corporate wellness programs to work, you must have a goal to work towards. A yearly operating plan should include a mission statement for the health promotion program in addition to several specific, measurable short-and long-term goals and objectives. Your employee wellness programs are more likely to be successful if they are linked to one or more of the company's strategic plans, as it will then have a better chance of retaining the support of the powers that be throughout the installation process. A written plan will also provide continuity when members of the health promotions team change and are important in holding the team accountable to the goals, objectives, and timeline agreed upon.
• Choose the appropriate health initiatives to focus on. The health initiatives that you choose should flow naturally from your data (questionnaire, Health Risk Appraisal aggregate report, claims) to goals and then objectives. They should also address current risk factors in your employee population and be in line with what both executive management and workers want from the employee wellness programs.
• Work toward developing a supportive atmosphere. A supportive atmosphere will provide workers with praise, ample opportunity to participate in corporate wellness programs, and rewards. A culture of wellness that stands behind the employee wellness programs might have such features as healthy food choices in their vending machines, may not allow smoking or tobacco products and flex-time that allow employees to workout. An employer that values wellness will applaud and praise wellness achievements and have an executive team that also models healthy behavior. Most importantly, an atmosphere of wellness involves workers in every part of the employee wellness programs from their design and promotion to their implementation and review.
• Consistently assess your corporate wellness programs outcomes on a timely basis. Thorough evaluation involves taking a close look at your goals and objectives and deciding if you have then attained your desired result. It is also important to keep in mind that this evaluation then allows you to applaud goals that have been attained and to stop or change ineffective initiatives.