Comprehensive wellness programs lead to healthier workplaces and employees. According to the Rhode Island Department of Health, "Research continues to show that employers who invest money in the health of their employees see an overall return on their investment in things such as reduced medical care costs, reduced utilization of healthcare, reduced absenteeism and increased productivity." Following the proper steps to developing a wellness program, along with obtaining management buy-in, will help to ensure the program's success.
Form a Committee
The first step to developing a wellness program is to find people to manage it. A wellness committee should be made up of people representing different levels of the organization, according to the New York State Department of Health. The committee is responsible for generating enthusiasm for wellness activities, tracking the participation and budget and analyzing results. At the very least, a wellness coordinator should be identified to run the program if your organization is too small to devote a group of people to the cause.
Planning and Needs Assessment
The first task of the wellness committee is to develop objectives and goals for the program that are in line with the organization's mission. Management buy-in is important to get your program off the ground.
A needs assessment is then developed to identify what wellness activities are appropriate to start with based on the health information and needs of your organization. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), conducting a needs assessment involves reviewing your employees' needs and interests, available resources and the work environment. Health risk appraisals, employee surveys and environmental audits of the work environment are examples of needs assessments that will lead you to a starting point for your wellness program.
Implementation
Once you have data from your needs assessment, you are ready to implement your plan. The wellness committee should decide where to start based on the organization's greatest need. For example, if two-thirds of the workforce is overweight, a physical activity program is a good place to start. Develop an implementation plan for this activity that includes specific programs, marketing and promotion plans, available resources and methods of evaluation. Some examples of physical activity programs might be a walking club or pedometer challenge.
The New York State Department of Health also recommends incorporating incentives into your wellness program budget to increase motivation and participation. These items should be relevant to wellness and might include stress balls or exercise bands.
Evaluation
Evaluating a wellness program is important to determine if it met the stated goals and objectives. Some measures to evaluate might be health-care costs and data, employee absenteeism and sick leave usage, or employee turnover. According to the CDC, an evaluation should be used to determine what was successful or what needs to be improved. However, an evaluation should be conducted after each wellness activity to show the maximum return on investment and provide rationale for future programs.
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