What is a Health Promotions Team and why it is important?

If your business is looking to begin an employee wellness program, then the first step should be to put together a Health Promotions Team. This is the team of people who will ultimately be responsible, of all aspects of the design, implementation and evaluation of the employee wellness program. Experts agree that every business

Every organization that decides to start an employee wellness program would benefit by forming a Health Promotions Team. The formation of this type of team, right from the start of your program, is the best method for facilitating the process. The Health Promotions Team will also reflect what the interest and desires of the employee participant.This team should represent the feelings, opinions, and ideas of the organization as a whole and should symbolize that the employee wellness program belongs to the employees.

The Health Promotions Team should be staffed by individuals who are: enthusiastic, passionate, outgoing and creative people who will work to further the goals of the employee wellness program. This type of team works best when it is made up of employees who come from all levels and areas, within a company. Management will need to determine how they will recruit members of the team. Some companies choose to ask for volunteers to staff the team, while other businesses have upper management appoint particular employees to sit on the team. Generally, the Health Promotions Team is more successful if the members have come from volunteering, rather then by being appointed.

It is crucial that the employees who make up the Health Promotions Team are truly interested in the health and well-being of the staff. They will need to support and want to work to further, the goals and objectives of the program. It is important that the motivation level, size of the company and any time constraints should be taken into account when it is being decided who will form the Health Promotions Team.

During the first meeting the team should be provided with an overview, along with some background that explains the employee wellness program. They should be educated as to how the program got started within the company, and be told exactly what the goals of the program will be. Keep in mind that in order for any employee wellness program to work it must closely relate to the business mission of the company. In addition, the relationship between the employee wellness program and the company as a whole should be discussed.

Some companies decide to join forces and resources with other businesses. This means that the Health Promotions Team should be made up of participants from every company. If this is the circumstances for the team, then it is crucial that the needs of all employees, from all of the companies that are involved, be addressed. All employees at every company should also be interviewed, for data concerning their interest and health risks.

Immediately as the team is formed, a term of service should be decided on. The Health Promotion team should also decide how the rotation of the members will be handled. This is important, because in order to keep fresh ideas and avoid burnout, new members should be rotated onto the Health Promotions team. However, it can be helpful to keep some previous members at all times in order to facilitate the continuity of the program.Having members who have served previously will add experience to how the team functions. It can also be helpful to have some ground rules, for the agenda of the team. Here are some suggested rules-

• Each person on the team has equal say.


• Every team member has the right to be heard.


• Team members will treat each other with respect and courtesy.


• Compromise will be a vital part of the discussion.


• All meetings will be held within the necessary time constraints.