Healthy People of the Kennebec Page 1
Workplace Well-Being Award Application Guide
Dear Kennebec Valley Worksite,
In an effort to recognize businesses in the greater Kennebec Valley that are committed to improving the health and well-being of their employees, Healthy People of the Kennebec Valley has created the
“Workplace Well-Being Award.” Worksites will be evaluated across the following eight categories:
Management Commitment
Wellness Leadership & Infrastructure Assessment
Participation/ Target Audience Program Measurement & Outcomes Interventions
Supportive Environment Strategic Planning
This guide features the categories that will be evaluated and highlights how each may be met. While these are not the only strategies for meeting each standard, we hope they will provide some helpful tips along the way.
Please contact Danielle Louder of Healthy People of the Kennebec Valley at [email protected] with any questions and for additional information about the award application process.
Sincerely,
Healthy People of the Kennebec Valley
Leadership Board
Healthy People of the Kennebec Page 2 1.
Management Commitment:
How well do owners and/or senior leaders demonstrate their support of workplace wellness in your organization? Management commitment to a healthier workforce is an essential component to creating an effective and sustainable wellness program. This includes:
a. provision of personnel and funding resources
b. endorsing the creation of organizational policies that support health and well-being in the workplace; and
c. demonstrating leadership by visibly participating in the wellness program themselves.
These efforts by leadership demonstrate a sincere commitment to the wellbeing of their employees and organization.
Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Sending a letter of endorsement to employees from senior management
- Establishing corporate wellness policies (i.e. regarding tobacco use, consideration for healthy meals at meetings, encouraging physical activity during the day, etc.)
- Financial support of the wellness program itself and relevant activities (dedicated staff time, incentives, promotional materials, contracted vendor, software, etc.)
- CEO/Owner visibly participates in wellness program activities
- Wellness mission statement exists or wellness is part of overall mission statement - Providing health insurance with an emphasis on prevention
(Please be sure to attach all supporting documentation to your online application, such as wellness related policies, communications, etc.)
2.
Wellness Leadership & Infrastructure:
Does your company have a designated infrastructure in place to support Workplace Well- Being? A solid infrastructure will help engage employees in personal well-being and encourage participation in activities, as well as provide education and resources to the workforce.
Examples include:
- Designated onsite wellness champion(s)
- A designated Wellness Committee that meets on a regular basis and adequately represents the population
- Wellness committee has a charter document and structure that determines size of
committee, length of service on committee, objectives, frequency of meetings, etc. in place allowing rotation of its members
- Company leader(s) participate in wellness efforts
(Please be sure to attach all supporting documentation to your online application, such as wellness committee charter document, sample meeting minutes, etc.)
Healthy People of the Kennebec Page 3 3.
Assessment:
How does your company assess the needs and interests of its employees and the workplace?
To get employees involved in the company wellness program you must first identify employee needs and wants in the area of wellness. If you do not consider what employees are looking for, there is a good chance you will have low participation in your program and/or little to no
improvement in employee health.
There are many different methods that may be used to collect this data. Here are a few:
- Employee interest survey or focus groups - Health Risk Appraisals
- Medical claims data review - Organizational health survey
o CDC Health Score Card: http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/pubs/worksite_scorecard.htm - Environmental audit of the worksite
- Culture audit
4.
Target Audience:
Who is eligible to participate in your company sponsored wellness program? Is your wellness program accessible to all of your employees? Retirees? How do you reach shift workers? Do you allow spouses and families to participate in your wellness program? Only those on your company benefits plan or not? Tell us how well your wellness program reaches people.
5.
Program Measurement:
How well has your company measured and demonstrated its wellness program results? What process does your worksite have in place to drive the appropriate use of wellness resources and determine the effectiveness of your program? This may be done through various methods but it is an important step to ensure that your program is producing the intended results. Data is vital to securing leadership support and resources, and will also assist in the sustainability of your program.
Some examples of program measurement include:
- Tracking employee participation rates overall and for programs offered
- Trending Health care claims and/or premium costs (especially if self- insured or experience rated)
- Trending of major diagnostic categories
- Improvement of Health Risk Scores over time from the assessments
- Reduction in specific risks such as smoking, blood pressure, weight, cholesterol levels, or other behavioral health risks
- Absence/ Short Term Disability data
Healthy People of the Kennebec Page 4 - Worker’s Compensation rates
- Effect on productivity metrics
- Employee satisfaction with overall wellness programs and/or to specific activities offered as part of program (i.e. physical activity challenges, weight loss challenges, etc.)
- ROI (return on investment): actual dollars saved minus wellness investment ratio/dollars (Please be sure to attach all supporting documentation to your online application, such as how you’ve measured your outcomes and results or ROI)
6.
Supportive Environment:
How well does your company create an environment that supports wellbeing? Studies show that healthy, long-term changes are much more likely to occur when environment and policies support health and wellness. Creating a company culture where wellness is encouraged will reinforce healthy behaviors.
Here are some examples:
- Offering healthy food choices in vending machines and at meetings to reinforce proper nutrition and supports employees who are trying to lose weight
- Instituting a tobacco free campus policy and offering tobacco cessation classes for employees who wish to quit
- Adding a policy which allows participation in wellness activities (i.e. stretching exercises, walking meetings) during the workday
7.
Interventions:
What does your company offer in terms of wellness interventions for its employees?
Some examples of interventions in each category are:
AWARENESS- examples include:
- Newsletters, bulletin boards, flyers and brochures - Annual health fair
- Stairwell promotion - Social media
EDUCATION- examples include:
- Lunch and learns
- Health/wellness lending library - On line Health Risk Assessments - Effective incentive program
- Educational Health campaigns such as know your numbers, ways to reduce heart risks, etc.
Healthy People of the Kennebec Page 5 BEHAVORIAL- examples include:
- On site or telephonic health coaching - Ergonomic assessments
- Healthy eating demonstrations and/or classes
- Programs that motivate and challenge employees to make change - Lactation room for nursing mothers
- Fitness facility - either onsite or sponsored discount - Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
8.
Strategic Plan:
Does your company have a strategic plan in place to sustain its wellness efforts?
Whether it stands alone, or is part of your overall organizational plan, it is vital to establish mission and strategy for your wellness program. By doing so, you have solidified employee health and wellness as a core piece of overall business, and have set a specific direction for making decisions, allocating resources and achieving desired goals.
Some important factors to consider regarding your worksite’s strategic plan are:
- Establish and track specific, measurable goals and objectives which are driven by data (scorecard)
- Integrate wellness program(s) with overall company business goals
- Establish the "big picture" objective and offer direction for program development - Identify the desired outcome of your program
- Review your plan frequently use a multi-year, progressive approach
(Please be sure to attach all supporting documentation to your online application, such as a copy of your plan and/or scorecard.)
We hope that this guide has helped you to complete your application for the HPKV Workplace Well-Being Award and has given you additional ideas to enhance your current program in future years.
We are here to help you and to provide additional resources as necessary. Feel free to contact us at [email protected]
