Starting a Wellness Program
There are certain elements that are critical to successful wellness programs. The Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) has worked for more than 30 years with companies developing results-oriented wellness programs and found that certain benchmarks are inherent in the most successful programs. It is for this reason that we highly recommend you consider these elements in your program.
Capture senior level support
It is no surprise that initiatives supported by top management generally are more successful than those that are not. Having the support and buy-in of C-level management is crucial to the success of your program. This support comes in the form of budget allocation, communication to your employees and actual participation in the program. It is not only talking the talk, but walking the walk.
Create a cohesive wellness team
Drawing members from all work areas within the organization, this committee establishes continuity, motivation and broad ownership of the program. It is best if interested employees are formally appointed by management, rather than serving in a “volunteer” capacity, making this important work. Often with volunteer positions, the work seems unimportant and may not get done. A rotating term is important for 1-2 years on the team and then some members rotating off while other seasoned members stay on as others come on. This team should be given some discretionary budget to spend and is expected to be an important part of the overall program.
Collect data
Data can assist you in identifying your employees’ risks and areas of interest. It will lead to a more targeted program and give you a way to evaluate your program, year over year. Data to consider collecting and analyzing as part of your program includes: claims data, health assessments, biometric screening data, health interest surveys, culture audit, absenteeism data, productivity data, workers’ compensation data, disability data and employee satisfaction surveys.
Craft an operating plan
As you develop your program, you will want to formalize your plans in writing. A good operating plan consists of a mission or vision statement, goals and objectives and a timeline for implementation. It is good to assign specific responsibilities for all activities to individuals with expected outcomes. An itemized budget is necessary to cover all planned activities. No plan is complete without a communication strategy and an evaluation process. Start with the end in mind!
Choose appropriate interventions
Using the data you collect, choose interventions appropriate for your population and consider important factors prior to implementation. Who is your target audience and will you need incentives to reach them? Will you offer this activity or program to family members or employees on other shifts or at remote locations? Are there any legal issues to consider and who will be the contact person during the implementation? What will be the evaluation process?
Create supportive environments
Nothing is more important in changing behavior than creating a culture of wellness at the worksite. Employees are more likely to make healthy choices when surrounded by those who do, so role modeling is important for those trying to create behavior change. Making healthy options available is vitally important. Have healthy choices for lunch meetings and focus holiday parties around healthy selections. Consider healthy vending machines and creating policies that support wellness.
Carefully evaluate outcomes
Evaluation is essential to know if your program is meeting expectations. You must be accountable for the results if you are to secure future funding. Evaluation will also provide needed feedback that can improve your programming efforts. Determine program metrics at the outset and establish a way to measure. Some possible measures include participation rates, employee satisfaction, year- over-year changes in biometric measures, absenteeism and other self-reported measures such as presenteeism and changes in health habits.
Planning a Successful Health Fair
A health fair is a great way for you to offer your employees information and activities to educate them and offer suggestions for healthier living through a variety of health topics. Health fairs can also offer valuable health screenings to detect health issues early, before they become serious. Careful planning can make this daunting task become manageable.
How to begin
Proper planning is the most important element to ensure success! Optimally, planning for a health fair should begin six (6) months to a year prior to the target date. Develop a planning committee with 3-5 members who will engage vendors, manage the budget, rentals, publicity/communications, food needs and evaluations. Choose a location for the fair that is convenient for your employees and vendors. Make sure there is adequate and comfortable space to allow for set-up of any equipment being used during the fair. Consider that electricity may be needed by some of your vendors. Determine the goals and objectives you have for your fair, making your goals SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time bound). Example – 75% of employees will attend the fair and obtain at least one (1) health screening.
As part of your planning set a timeline of events or make a project plan. For example, you create a month-by-month checklist that would look something like this:
• 6 months prior to fair – Select theme, date and time, reserve location, prepare budget and obtain approval, set goals for fair.
• 5 months prior to fair – Brainstorm vendors, activities, demonstration and screenings.
• 4 months prior to fair – Reach out to vendors, determine methods of promotion for fair, develop marketing materials, determine food needs for fair.
• 3 months prior to fair – Determine volunteer needs. Order and reserve all rental equipment, receive written confirmation from vendors with space and electrical needs.
• 2 months prior to fair – Follow-up with all vendors not confirmed and coordinate volunteers. • 4-6 weeks prior – Begin promotion campaign to employees.
• 2 weeks ahead – Confirm rentals, order catering, work with site management for parking needs and obtain visitor passes for vendors.
Set a budget
Once you have your date and goals set, you can begin to develop your budget. Here are some major items to include in your budget:
• Publicity and promotion costs
• Rental of tables, chairs, AV and other equipment
• Refreshments or lunches for participants, volunteers and vendors • Screenings and other vendor costs
Create a theme
observances whenever possible (for example, if your event falls in February, your theme can reflect heart awareness during “National Heart Month”). Sample themes:
• “Good Health Makes Sense” – Usually done by a financial institution – can use cents as tokens for attending each booth. Collect so many tokens to purchase door prize ticket!
• “Healthy Treasure Hunt” – Find a treasure at each booth. Turn in your “loot” for a door prize ticket. • “Get on the right track” – Collect train stickers at each booth to cover the vendor’s square on your card.
Collect X number for a chance at door prizes.
Select vendors
Choose vendors who align with your theme and can offer your employees the greatest benefits. Some ideas include:
• American Diabetes Association • American Health Association • American Lung Association • American Red Cross • Athletic shoe fitter • Area fitness centers
• Chiropractor/spine specialist • County health department • Ergonomics expert • Health insurance Plan • Local dentist
• Local dental school • Local grocery store
• Local fire, police, hospital, home health agency • Local pharmacy/pharmacist
• Local weight management program representative • Physical therapist
Consider screenings
Screenings build awareness of health risks and provide information on how individuals can make changes in their lifestyles to enhance their health. Most screenings take several minutes, so allow extra time for participants to attend these booths or allow participants to pre-register for a specific time for screenings. Ensure confidentiality at all screening table. Suggestions for screenings include:
• Blood pressure
• Body composition (body fat) • Bone density (heel scan) • Cholesterol
• DermaScan skin analysis • Glucose
• Hearing
• Visual acuity/glaucoma
Demonstrations/activities
Add an element of fun and interest to your health fair by offering demonstrations and activities. Some ideas include: • Acupuncture • Band exercises • Chair massage • CPR/first aid • Exercise equipment/techniques • Flu vaccines • Healthy cooking
• Proper lifting techniques • Tai-Chi
• Yoga • Zumba
Incentives/door prizes
Incentives and door prizes are a great way to encourage participation. Ask vendors who are participating in the fair if they can donate a door prize to the event. To encourage participation and attendance at each booth, provide each participant with a card or “passport” to be punched or stickered at each booth. Provide a map of the entire fair with vendors clearly labeled so, if time is limited, participants can readily choose the vendors that most interest them and obtain desired screenings.
After the participant has visited a predetermined number of booths and his or her card is validated, he or she is eligible for the door prize drawings. Display the door prizes on the registration table to build excitement as participants register to encourage them to complete their card and return it for the drawings.
Promote the event
Think about how messages are normally communicated in your organization and start with the method that typically works well. Promote the event at least four weeks in advance and use as many avenues as possible. Here are some promotion ideas:
• Posters
• Newsletter articles • Banners
• Flyers
• Intranet posting • Plasma screen message
• Company/staff meeting announcement • Table tents
• Emails
• Allow plenty of time for set-up. The day before is best if time allows and you have access to the tables and chairs
• Have volunteers on hand to escort vendors and assist with carrying their supplies • Provide name tags for all vendors and volunteers
• Keep an extra supply of tape, scissors, pens and markers handy
• Provide a map of the fair for all attendees to locate information table, specific vendors, screenings and other services
• Keep extension cords available
Evaluate your health fair
• Develop an evaluation form for attendees to complete to obtain feedback about the health fair • Determine if your goals were achieved
• Identify strengths and weaknesses for future considerations
Thank your vendors
Mail written thank you letters to all vendors for participating in your fair and include an evaluation form with a self-addressed stamped envelope. It is important to obtain their feedback on how you can make your event better in the future. You want to ensure these professionals continue to work with you, and being grateful for their services as well as listening to their feedback shows you care.
How to Start a Wellness Committee
The wellness committee is a critical component of any wellness program. Drawing members from different areas within the organization, this committee establishes continuity, motivation and broad ownership of the program. It also offers an opportunity for employees to become more involved in the wellness program, with the thought that they may be more apt to change if they are involved in the process. Here are some steps to guide you in the formation of a wellness committee:
Choose the right time to initiate your committee
The timing of your wellness committee depends on the level of health promotion activities to be
implemented. For example, if you choose a low-level awareness activity such as sending out educational health tips each week, the program coordinator can implement this activity with little or no assistance. If you decide to implement a larger program that entails educating and motivating the entire organization, then additional assistance will be needed. The wellness committee can provide advice and assistance during the planning, implementation and evaluation phases.
Secure support of top managers/officers
It is crucial to the success of your wellness program that top management supports and is involved in your program. Consult with upper management prior to committee selection and seek input on possible members. Ideally, the committee should be appointed by management, taking into account those interested in participating. By having members appointed, the work becomes important to the company and not just another volunteer job that is easily forgotten when the workload increases.
Consider the structure of your committee
The committee should consist of one program coordinator and 5-10 members from various departments in your organization. Care should be taken to ensure that the committee is not solely composed of young, physically fit employees. Such homogeneity could lead to the alienation of others and possibly to limited perspective on health promotion issues. Members should seek to represent the views of their coworkers when bringing ideas and creativity to the table.
Specify a service term
Request a service term of one to two years and make sure the individual can meet the obligations. Rotate a few members at a specified time being sure to leave some seasoned members in place as new members rotate onto the committee. The goal is to have a wellness committee that is representative of the organization’s employee population.
Review the roles and responsibilities with each new member
Suggested duties include:
1. Actively assist in the planning, researching and implementing of the wellness plan 2. Encourage participation in health promotion activities among coworkers
3. Provide feedback to the wellness committee regarding employees’ opinions and interest in health promotion activities
4. Recommend policy changes that are aimed at improving the health and safety of employees 5. Evaluate the progress of the company’s wellness program
6. Serve a minimum of a one-year membership
Schedule and facilitate an introductory meeting
Bring the group together to discuss responsibilities and outline a basic implementation plan. Remember, a wellness program should have a destination and it is the responsibility of the wellness committee to drive the company to that destination. Each meeting should have a facilitator and a note taker. These roles can be assigned or they can rotate. The leader should prepare an agenda for each meeting and a designated person should take notes and send them back out to the group after the meeting. It is important to keep these records.
Develop your mission statement
The committee’s mission statement should coincide with the company’s mission statement. Making health promotion part of the core business allows programming efforts to blend with day-to-day company practices.
Collect data
The committee should ensure that the company’s wellness program has a direction and outcomes. Consider what data is available for use to assess your population’s risk and interest. Sources should include:
• Absenteeism & productivity data • Claims data
• Culture audits
• Demographic information
• Disability & workers’ compensation data • Employee satisfaction surveys
• Health interest surveys • Health risk assessment data • Biometric screening data
Set goals and objectives for your wellness program
1. Craft an annual operating plan with specific, measurable goals that are aligned with corporate goals; are realistic and time bound (SMART)
2. Consider written policies to develop a culture of wellness
3. Implement appropriate interventions, based on your data review, that foster team support, engage a spirit of competition and promote all facets of wellbeing
4. Communicate health information and available resources in a diverse fashion to match the make-up of your population
5. Plan for ways to evaluate outcomes
Guidelines for Conducting
Wellness Challenges
One of the best ways to build your employees’ awareness about healthy lifestyles and create healthy behaviors is to conduct a “wellness challenge” in your company. Wellness challenges represent
opportunities to enhance your employees’ fitness and health in a competitive and social environment. If you have never initiated a wellness challenge before, here are a few guidelines to help you get started:
Establish the goal
First, establish the goals and objectives of the challenge. Goals should be aimed at changing an unhealthy behavior you have identified in your company. Decide how many participants you expect in your challenge and what you would like them to accomplish. Make the goal specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound (SMART).
Select a challenge theme
There are several different types of challenges you will want to consider. Here are some popular examples:
• Step challenge – In a step challenge, pedometers are used to count steps. Individuals or teams work to increase the number of steps they take or reach a set goal established at the beginning of the challenge.
• Minute challenge – Another popular way to challenge employees is to have them count the minutes they perform doing an activity an increase that or work toward an established goal. • Mile challenge – This type of challenge involves employees going a distance as individuals or in
teams. Participants walk a certain number of miles in a specific amount of time. Popular routes include walking to the beach, D.C. or walking the Appalachian Trail.
• Point challenge – This type of challenge involves the use of points assigned to various wellness activities. The points are ultimately tallied. This is a great way to encompass all aspects of wellness.
• Nutritional challenge – This involves an activity like a 5-day challenge, encouraging individuals or teams to eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Weight loss challenge – Think of a contest like “The Biggest Loser.”
Keep duration short
Successful challenges are shorter in duration. The recommended timeframe is 4-6 weeks. It is very difficult to keep momentum and excitement going for a challenge that lasts over long periods of time. By creating short-duration challenges, employees will feel they can be successful at completing the challenge and you will have provided the challenge long enough to develop a new healthy habit. Research shows that it takes 21 days to make a behavior change.
Determine the who
The ‘who” of your challenge is really quite simple. It’s the employees! Or, it could also be targeted at employees’ families. Decide if your challenge will work best in teams or as individuals. Typically a team effort tends to be more effective because team members support each other and it provides friendly competition.
By encouraging employees to work together during the challenge, the support networks may carry over after the challenge is over.
Implementation
A successful challenge takes time to plan and implement, so give yourself time to prepare. Here are some key items for consideration:
• Meet with your wellness committee or another internal team to plan and kickoff a challenge event. Items for discussion include deciding on goals, objectives, rules and developing a timeline for the challenge.
• Outline tasks and assign responsibilities to each member.
• Determine what incentives you will use to obtain the expected participation. Here are some popular options:
o T-shirts o Pedometers
o Water bottles/Exercise towels o Cook books
o Gift certificates o Fitness gear
• Develop communications/marketing campaign ( launch 2-3 weeks prior to event) • Design tracking forms
• Schedule facilities for any challenge-related events • Obtain educational materials
• Determine tracking methods • Solicit a leadership champion • Plan a kickoff event
• Track progress • Communicate results • Award winners • Evaluate program
Health & Wellness Observances Calendar
The National Wellness Institute provides a wealth of monthly health and wellness observances. Below you can find a few appropriate themes for workplace bulletin boards and newsletters. Utilize these themes as campaigns to heighten your employees’ awareness about specific health issues throughout the year.
January
• Cervical Health Awareness Month • National Birth Defects Prevention
Month
• National Glaucoma Awareness Month • National Blood Donor Month
• National Glaucoma Awareness Month • Healthy Weight Week (3rd week) • MLK Day of Service (1/17)
February
• Heart Month
• National Cancer Prevention Month • Wise Health Consumer Month • National Wear Red Day
• Random Acts of Kindness Week
March
• American Red Cross Month
• National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
• National Nutrition Month
• National Poison Prevention Week • Save Your Vision Month
• Workplace Eye Health & Safety Month • National Sleep Awareness Week (Week
before Daylight Savings Time) • American Diabetes Alert Day (4th
Tuesday) • Kick Butts Day
April
• National Alcohol Awareness Month • National Cancer Control Month
• National Child Abuse Prevention Month • National Humor Month
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month • World Health Day (4/7)
• Earth Day (4/22)
• National Volunteer Week (3rd week)
May
• Better Sleep Month • Correct Posture Month • National Bike Month
• National High Blood Pressure Education Month
• National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Month • National Stroke Awareness Month • Women’s Health Week (Week of
Mother’s Day)
• Bike to Work Week (3rd week) • National Employee Health and Fitness
Day (3rd Wednesday)
• National Physical Fitness & Sports Month
June
• Fireworks Safety Month • National Home Safety Month • National Men’s Health Week (Week
ending with Father’s Day) • World Blood Donor Day (6/14)
• National Great Outdoors Month • World Environments Day (6/5)
July
• Fireworks Safety Month (June & July) • Eye Injury Prevention Month
• Everybody Deserves Massage Week • UV Safety Month
August
• National Immunization Awareness • World Breastfeeding Week (1st week) • Cataract Awareness Month
• National Cholesterol Education Awareness Month
September
• National Preparedness Month
• America on the Move Month of Action • Fruit, Veggie & Whole Grains Month • Healthy Aging Month
• Baby Safety Awareness Month • National Yoga Month
October
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month
• National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• National Depression & Mental Health Screening Month
• Healthy Babies Month
• Talk about Prescriptions Month • Vegetarian Awareness Month
November
• American Diabetes Month • Great American Smokeout (3rd
Thursday)
• World Diabetes Day (11/14)
• National Influenza Vaccination Week (Week after Thanksgiving)
• Tie One On For Safety Campaign - MADD (Thanksgiving through New Years)
December
• Safe Toys and Gifts Month
• International Volunteer Day (12/5) • National Hand Washing Awareness
Week (1st week of Dec.)
• International AIDS Awareness Month • World AIDS Day (12/1)