Worksite wellness and worksite wellness programs

Robust wellness programs involve all employees, deal with all major health risks, offers options, and target both the employees and the worksite environment; provide periodic investigation of its results.     

Robust wellness programs emphasize follow-up and offers support for the staff member as long as he/she is employed. Studies have shown this approach to be highly successful. Key components are planning, implementation, and examination.   

Planning robust wellness programs involve performing a needs and interest assessment, appointing a wellness committee, picking  wellness providers, setting goals/objectives for the wellness program, marketing and advertising/promoting the program, and establishing procedures to ensure confidentiality.   

Implementation of extensive wellness programs consist of five major tasks –    

1   Medical screening and referral

2   Follow-up and counseling workers

3   Follow-up with doctors

4   Health improvement programs

5   Organizing worksite-wide activities.

Examination involves monitoring wellness programs to find out when it is working and to help you refine it. Measuring success shows what you’ve achieved, assists justify costs, and provides information for management to support continued programming.   

Extensive wellness programs involve all employees, deal with all major health risks, offers options, and target both the employees and the worksite environment; provide periodic analysis of its results.     

Comprehensive wellness programs emphasize follow-up and offers support for the staff member since he/she is employed. Studies have shown this approach to be highly successful. Key components are planning, implementation, and investigation

Planning extensive wellness programs involve performing a needs and interest assessment, appointing a wellness committee, choosing  wellness providers, establishing goals/objectives for the wellness program, advertising/promoting the program, and establishing procedures to ensure confidentiality

Implementation of robust wellness programs consist of five major tasks –

• Health testing and health risk (assessment|appraisal}

• Follow-up and counseling employees

• Follow-up with doctors

• Health improvement and illness avoidance programs

• Organizing worksite-wide wellness program activities.

Examination involves monitoring wellness programs to find out when it is working and to help you refine it.

Measuring success shows what you have achieved, assists justify costs, and provides information for management to support continued programming.

Initially introduced by Halbert Dunn in the 1950’s, wellness became a popular buzzword during the late 1970’s and received considerable academic attention in the 1980’s.     

Wellness programs for workers became more widespread during the following decade, and credible evidence for their economic viability began to be published.     

There have now been over 100 published studies on this topic and a number of systematic reviews.

Health risks increase costs.  Medical and health insurance costs escalate with both age and number of risks present.8,10   the number of risks is also strongly related to sick time absenteeism, Employee’s Compensation costs, short-term disability, and decreased productivity (”presenteeism”).

Early employee wellness programs were relatively basic and usually produced a return on investment (ROI) of less than one dollar for every dollar spent operating the program (ROI = <1 - 1).8

Such programs might  be characterized as “fun-oriented”.  Participation is entirely voluntary, and there is no particular focus on the reduction of in particular identified high risks.  

Interventions and activities aren’t customized, and there’s no emphasis on the management of health costs.  These programs are ordinarily site-based only, lack choices to address all of the major behaviorally-related health risks, and lack multimodal presentation.  

Minimal or no incentives are provided to staff members for participation, and services to spouses and family members are not available.  Most such programs lack meaningful analysis.  

More conventional programs are “activity-oriented” and have shown an ROI of between 1 – 2.5 and 1 – 3.5.8 These programs may have a greater emphasis on health and risk reduction, although the efforts are relatively broad and not personalized.  

They could have some generalized emphasis on health care cost management, although not necessarily aimed at specific high risks.  Most are site-based and voluntary, with spouses included only rarely.  

Modest incentives could  be utilized to encourage participation.  Formal examination could  be weak.

The newest and most economically viable programs are “results-oriented” and exemplify the health and productivity management model.  These programs consistently produce return rates of 1 – 4 or greater within a 12-24 month period.8  

Such programs are strongly focused on the reduction of namely identified high risks and the management of healthcare costs.  They’re normally voluntary, but use strong financial and other incentives to promote participation.  

They’re multi-component in nature (address all major risks), and have both onsite and virtual modalities of operation.  The interventions are highly targeted and individualized, and offered to spouses as well as employees.

For companies, the cost of providing health insurance for their workers is of excellent importance.  Those costs have been increasing at annual rates between 6 percent and 14 percent.

Chapman’s 2007 systematic review7 stated an typical reduction in health care costs of 26.5% then of worker wellness programs.  His review covered 60 of the most scientifically valid studies, with an typical of 3.77 years of study.

Absenteeism due to illness is another cost driver.  Chapman’s review7 reports an typical reduction in sick time of 25.3%.   Cost for Employee’s Compensation was lowered by 40.7%, and disability costs by 24.2%.

There is also an emerging literature on the costs of presenteeism (reduced productivity).11,13  In one study, every risk lowered through a wellness program yielded a 9% reduction in presenteeism (and a 2% reduction in absenteeism).11

Some businesses have achieved a zero% increase in health care costs across at least brief periods of time.10  Doing so requires 90-95% participation of the worker population in focused wellness programs, with 75%-85% of the workers falling into the low risk category.10     

Although comprehensive efforts to lower the risk status of those in moderate or high risk categories ought to be made, the needs of currently healthy employees ought to be addressed as well to avoid increases in risk-status.   

Given the size of the federal workforce, meaningful cost savings in the government’s contribution to medical insurance premiums for workers may be achieved if a majority of that population were participating in active wellness programs.     

In like fashion, improvements in absenteeism, employee’s compensation, disability, presenteeism, and turnover as a result of extensive employee wellness programs would yield substantial fiscal benefits for the government.   

References   

1   Aldana, Steven G.  (2001)   Financial Impact of Wellness Programs –   A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.   Am J Wellness 15(5) – 296-320.

2   Chapman, Larry.  (1998)   the Role of Incentives in Wellness.  The Art of Wellness  2(3) – 1-8.

3   Chapman, Larry.   (2003)   Biometric Screening in Wellness –   is it Really as Important as We Think?  the Art of Wellness  7(2) – 1-12.

4   Chapman, Larry.  (2005)   Meta-Examination of Corporate Wellness Economic Return Studies –  2005 Update.  The Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-15.

5   Chapman, Larry.   (2006)   Employee Participation in Corporate Wellness and Wellness Programs –   How Important are Incentives, and Which Ones work Best?   North Carolina Medical Journal   67(6) –   431-432.

6   Chapman, Larry, Lesch, Nancy, and Passas Baun, Mary Beth.   (2007)   the Role of Wellness Coaching in Corporate Wellness.   the Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-12.

7   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   Proof Positive –   an Analysis of the cost-Effectiveness of Corporate Wellness.  Northwest Health Management Publishing, Seattle, WA.

8   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   an In-Depth Look at the Economic Evidence for Rewarding Health Behavior Change.   Workshop presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Companys” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.

9   Edington, Dee.   (2001)   Emerging Research –   A View from One Research Center.  American Journal of Wellness 15(5) –  341-349.

10   Edington, Dee W.  (2007)   Health Management as a Serious Business Strategy.  Presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Businesss” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.

11   Pelletier, Barbara, Boles, Myde, and Lunch, Wendy.  (2004)  Changes in Health Risks and Be certain to work Productivity.   Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(7) –  746-754.

12   Pelletier, Kenneth R.  (2005)   A Review and Analysis of the Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of extensive Health and Disease Management (DM)Programs at the Worksite –  Update VI 2000-2004.  JOEM 47(10)1051-1058.

13   DeVol, Ross, Bedroussian, Armen, et. al.  (2007)  an Unhealthy America –   the Economic Burden of Chronic Disease.  Report released by the Milken Institute.   www.milkeninstitute.org.

14   Partnership for Prevention.  (2008) Investing in Health –   Proven Wellness Practices for Workplaces.   http – //www.prevent.org/images/stories/2008/investinginhealth_finalfinal.pdf.

Corporate America is increasingly investing in worker wellness because it is good business.  In order to meet productivity demands, corporations must rely on a healthy, productive workforce to succeed in the highly competitive global marketplace.  

Over a hundred studies in both corporate and governmental settings have documented the economic advantages of employee wellness programs, including decreased absenteeism, decreased injuries and workman’s compensation costs, decreased health care costs, decreased employee turnover, in addition to increased productivity, greater employee satisfaction, and improved morale.1-10  

The more recent literature reflects improvements in wellness programming along with greater return on investment.  In general, the more focused and intensive the program, the greater benefit realized.  

To enhance their effectiveness federal government staff member wellness programs may  be able to incorporate some features described.  Staff Member wellness programs shown to have positive returns on investment often include the following features –    

1   Health and productivity management model

Programs characterized by this model focus attention on identification and reduction of specific risks or behaviors such as smoking, lack of exercise, excess weight, unhealthy diet, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stress, depression, and so on.     

High-risk workers are namely targeted for intervention, although the most successful programs also direct efforts towards healthy workers to maintain their low-risk status.  This model emphasizes outcomes as opposed to simply offering wellness activities for their own sake.     

2   Health risk (assessment|appraisal}

Use of a computerized health risk (assessment|appraisal}  instrument with individualized feedback and recommendations is almost universal in successful programs.  Staff Members take the questionnaire each year in many cases.     

The HRA serves to raise awareness, provide direction, and motivate individuals to improve specific behaviors.  In some cases, the customized report is directly linked to appropriate resources related to identified risks.     

Research indicates that the use of an HRA is effective if it is followed by some kind of educational or therapeutic intervention for identified risks.  It often serves as the entry point into wellness programs.   

3   Biometric analysis

A lot of wellness programs combine the results of the health risk (assessment|appraisal} with measurement of each employee’s biometrics, including weight and BMI , blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting glucose, and assorted other metrics.     

Combining the results of the HRA with biological measures leads to a more precise risk profile.   Computerized health risk (assessment|appraisal}s often incorporate biometric data in their risk analysis.   

4   Wellness Program Incentives

Employees are frequently given monetary or other significant rewards for completing an HRA, participation in a program or class, specific accomplishments like stopping tobacco use, losing weight, or exercising, and for maintaining healthy status and/or behaviors.     

In many cases the monetary incentives are associated with reductions in health insurance premiums.  Some programs use disincentives as well as incentives, like charging staff members who smoke higher rates for their health insurance contribution.   

5   High wellness program participation rates

Successful programs use incentives to drive participation rates up.  They also market their programs robustly, and may use contest or challenge strategies to heighten enthusiasm and encourage participation.   

6   Wellness coaching

Workers with identified risks or desire to improve their health habits may  be periodically coached via telephone by trained health coaches.     

Coaching assists employees set and achieve realistic lifestyle-related goals including those addressing stress, work life balance, tobacco use, weight, exercise, and various behavior modifications.     

Three or more sessions are typically offered.  In some intensive programs, the coaching extends to actual disease management intervention for employees with identified high-risk diseases.    

7   Multiple formats

Programs might offer wellness content in online, paper, and seminar formats to provide stimulating variety and alternatives for accommodate the needs of all employees.     

In addition to on-site physical activity and healthy eating events, on-line programs, e-mail reminders and notices, printed newsletters and materials, and workplace courses and seminars are common dissemination strategies.   

8   Upper-level management support

Enthusiastic and frequent endorsement by  executive management is critical to achieving high rates of participation.  When senior executives are wellness role models themselves the effects of endorsement are enhanced.   

9   Frequent contact

Successful programs have frequent contact of some sort with every staff member.  This could  be through advertising and marketing efforts (e.g., posters, e-mail notices, reminders, or messages, etc.), bulletin boards, newsletters, staff meeting presentations, discussion in new staff member orientation, supervisory sessions, etc.      

The key is to enhance staff member awareness of wellness opportunities and reinforce the corporate emphasis on wellness through frequent and multiple “touches”.   

10   Open enrollment

To encourage high participation rates employees must have easy access to the wellness programs and activities.  Open and uncomplicated enrollment processes achieve this.     

Some corporations automatically enroll all workers and then allow those who do not wish to participate to “opt-out”.  This practice has been proven to increase enrollment rates in some settings.   

11   Family involvement

A lot of programs encourage spouses and other family members to participate in the company wellness activities and to adopt a healthy lifestyle along with the designated worker.  It’s far easier for the worker to have a healthy lifestyle when his/her family does so as well.   

12   Use of tobacco cessation

Because smoking and other smoking is the number one threat to health it is crucial to offer workers effective and convenient assistance with quitting.     

Access to smoking cessation pharmaceuticals is often part of such programs.  In-house programs provide the most convenient access to these services, although on-line or telephone-based programs could  be available as well.     

13   Exercise

Regular physical activity is a core component of every wellness program.  Staff Members must be strongly encouraged to engage in regular physical activity.     

Most programs provide either periodic or continuous on-site opportunities, and some locations have on-site fitness clubs, swimming pools, walking trails, etc.  Discounted or compensated memberships to community exercise facilities is a common alternative to on-site facilities.   

14   Weight management

Because obesity is a major threat to health it’s imperative that programs offer effective assistance with weight control.  Extensive encouragement from  upper management to shed excess weight is important.     

Web-Based programs, worksite programs, or discounted access to weight control programs in the community may all be available.  Long-term follow-up is crucial for maintenance of weight loss.   

15   Stress management

Workplace stress is perhaps the most common complaint among employees and a major contributor to absenteeism, presenteeism (reduced productivity), and low morale.     
   
Nearly all successful wellness programs offer assistance with personal and workplace stress.  Some programs refer employees to outside resources for additional serious conditions like depression and anxiety disorders, but most offer online or frequent on-site general stress reduction programs.     
   
Some companies endeavor to structure the work environment to minimize stress, both physically and operationally.   

16   Medical screenings/immunizations

Employees are actively encouraged to complete advised health testings for blood pressure, cholesterol, Body Mass Index, colorectal and breast cancer, and others.     

Annual influenza immunizations are also encouraged.  Some sites provide these services at the worksite.  Incentives are often awarded for completion of these screenings/immunizations.    

17   Onsite health care

Actual provision of on-site primary care medical services is a growing trend.  The quickly escalating costs of medical care insurance for workers has stimulated this trend.     

Some corporations have found that it is less expensive to provide main care services themselves than to fund those services through medical insurance.     

Onsite care also lowers the amount of time employees would otherwise spend away from the worksite getting such services.    

References   

1   Aldana, Steven G.  (2001)   Financial Impact of Wellness Programs –   A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.   Am J Wellness 15(5) – 296-320.

2   Chapman, Larry.  (1998)   the Role of Incentives in Wellness.  The Art of Wellness  2(3) – 1-8.

3   Chapman, Larry.   (2003)   Biometric Screening in Wellness –   is it Really as Important as We Think?  the Art of Wellness  7(2) – 1-12.

4   Chapman, Larry.  (2005)   Meta-Examination of Corporate Wellness Economic Return Studies –  2005 Update.  The Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-15.

5   Chapman, Larry.   (2006)   Employee Participation in Corporate Wellness and Wellness Programs –   How Important are Incentives, and Which Ones work Best?   North Carolina Medical Journal   67(6) –   431-432.

6   Chapman, Larry, Lesch, Nancy, and Passas Baun, Mary Beth.   (2007)   the Role of Wellness Coaching in Corporate Wellness.   the Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-12.

7   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   Proof Positive –   an Analysis of the cost-Effectiveness of Corporate Wellness.  Northwest Health Management Publishing, Seattle, WA.

8   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   an In-Depth Look at the Economic Evidence for Rewarding Health Behavior Change.   Workshop presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthful Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.

9   Edington, Dee.   (2001)   Emerging Research –   A View from One Research Center.  American Journal of Wellness 15(5) –  341-349.

10   Edington, Dee W.  (2007)   Health Management as a Serious Corporation Strategy.  Presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthful Behaviors for Health Plans and Companys” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.

11   Pelletier, Barbara, Boles, Myde, and Lunch, Wendy.  (2004)  Changes in Health Risks and Be certain to work Productivity.   Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(7) –  746-754.

12   Pelletier, Kenneth R.  (2005)   A Review and Analysis of the Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of comprehensive Health and Illness Management (DM)Programs at the Worksite –  Update VI 2000-2004.  JOEM 47(10)1051-1058.

13   DeVol, Ross, Bedroussian, Armen, et. al.  (2007)  an Unhealthy America –   the Economic Burden of Chronic Disease.  Report released by the Milken Institute.   www.milkeninstitute.org.

14   Partnership for Prevention.  (2008) Investing in Health –   Proven Wellness Practices for Workplaces.   http – //www.prevent.org/images/stories/2008/investinginhealth_finalfinal.pdf.

Investigations determine the outcome of a Wellness Program. They help you figure out when your goals were met. It’s a good idea to add an investigation component to your Wellness Program.

Evaluations may conclude that some interventions didn’t work well. You could find that a popular Wellness Program costs too much and didn’t really affect employees’ health.

While these might not be the outcomes you hoped for, without this information you could continue ineffective interventions. Having this information will help you create better solutions.

When your results are excellent, it’s magnificent! You can spread the word to workers and management that your program is achieving its goals.

Three major areas of an investigation

• Wellness Program structure – the basic framework of the program

• Wellness Program process – How well the program is run

• Wellness Program outcomes – Whether the program met the set goals

Common questions used to evaluate a Wellness Program

Structure Questions

• What’s included in the Wellness Program? What’s the intervention?

• Where does the Wellness Program take place?

• How’s the Wellness Program delivered? What content is included?

• Who manages the Wellness Program?

Process Questions

• How many people  participate?

• Do participants complete the Wellness Program?

• Are participants satisfied?

• Which aspects of the Wellness Program are best attended?

Outcome Questions

• Does the Wellness Program improve knowledge about health issues?

• Does the Wellness Program change behavior?

• Does the Wellness Program save the corporation money?

• What’s the return on investment (ROI)?

Download a sample program (http – //www.ibx.com/pdfs/custom/wellness_partners/services/turnkey_programs/walking/participant_eval.pdf) evaluation from IBC’s Walking Towards Wellness program.

• Identify through an worker survey what incentives they value.

• Identify what incentives the organization can provide in addition to what the budget will allow.

• Ensure that every participant who achieves a goal receives some recognition.

• Avoid offering incentives for the “best” or the “most.”

• Avoid using food as a reward.

• Use incentives to promote your wellness program, through logos and branding.

Incentives encourage employees to adopt positive behaviors or maintain an existing positive behavior that may potentially help the staff member stay healthy and live longer. Adopting positive health behavior is fundamentally what wellness is about.

Incentives could be used to increase participation rates, help individuals complete a Wellness Program, or help individuals change or adhere to healthy behaviors.

Providing incentives and rewards will send an important message to the employees that your organization is committed to helping them with bettering their health. It also plays a meaningful role in motivating individuals to participate.

Tips on how to choose appropriate incentives –

• Identify through an worker survey what incentives they value.

• Identify what incentives the organization can provide in addition to what the budget will allow.

• Ensure that every participant who achieves a goal receives some recognition.

• Prevent offering incentives for the “best” or the “most.”

• Avoid using food as a reward.

• Use incentives to promote your Wellness Program, through logos and branding.

When developing a robust Wellness Program, be sure that it consists of a variety of awareness, lifestyle change, supportive environment programs, policies and activities that target risk behaviors, and the needs and interests of the staff members.

It’ll be important to review and revise existing policies governing such areas as tobacco use sections and the staff cafeteria.

Tips on designing a Wellness Program –

• Create activities based on your plan goals addressing the specific needs of your staff members. Focus on those topics that are of greatest interest to your staff members and the greatest needs of your company, in that order. Prevent topics with narrow appeal.

• Keep it simple. Design the Wellness Program so it’s easy for the participants to understand and track.

• Integrate a combination of activities to include awareness, educational, and behavior elements.

• Pick activities in which every worker can participate.

Suggestions for your Wellness Program –

• Challenges. Activities that focus on practicing a desired behavior that continues for 4-8 weeks and focuses on specific topics (such as exercise, nutrition, or stress management).

• Learning experiences. This includes seminars, videos, and classes.

• Behavior changes (like tobacco use cessation). You could or might not offer interventions at the workplace. Notwithstanding, you should encourage person to make lifestyle changes that they want to make even without an external incentive.

• Education on illness management. for  instance, support and education groups for diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.

• Learing new skills. for example, CPR and first aid.

• Preventive screenings like blood pressure, cholesterol, and vision.

Source –  Modified from the Building Healthful Texans Corporate Wellness Toolkit.

Develop goals and objectives

Objectives are general guidelines that explain what you want to achieve. Objectives define strategies or steps to take to attain the identified goal.

A wellness program should have a “destination”. Use the results of your surveys and your wellness committee’s mission statement as guides. Consider these ideas –  

• Focus on making health information and learning resources readily available to workers

• Focus on group activities so employees can work together to support and encourage healthier lifestyles

• Develop a wellness program that is visible to both workers and to your patrons

• Focus on written policies and guidelines

• Be sure to set goals for your wellness program.

Review Guidelines for Writing Objectives.

Wellness Program Goals Should be

Specific – A goal is specific when it provides a description of what’ll be accomplished. It’ll state exactly what the organization intends to accomplish.

It must be written so that it may be easily and clearly communicated. A specific goal will make it easier for those writing objectives and action plans to address the following questions –  

• Who’s to be involved?

• What’s to be accomplished?

• Where is it to be done?

• When is it to be done?

Measurable – A goal is measurable if it’s quantifiable. to determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions like –  How much? How many? How’ll I know when it’s accomplished?

Attainable – You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Objectives that might have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable.

Realistic – Realistic, means “do-able.” the goal needs to be realistic for your organization and where the organization is at the moment.

A goal to take out all the high fat items in the vending machine may not be realistic for your business right now; a better goal would be to substitute some of the chips, candy bars and pies for pretzels, yogurt and dried fruit.

Timely – Lastly, a goal must have a timeframe –  for next week, in three months, by age 35. It must have a beginning and ending point. It should also have some intermediate points at which progress could be examined.

Limiting the time in which a goal should be accomplished assists to focus effort toward its achievement. When you do not set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can begin at any time. Without a time limit, there’s no urgency to begin taking action now.

Successful wellness programs are designed to meet the needs and interests of the employees. Ask employees what they’re interested in, and what needs they have.

Individuals  are more willing to participate and support wellness efforts if they’re involved in the decision-making process. Review the sample worker survey provided below.

Employee Interest Survey – can be edited (http – //www.ibx.com/pdfs/custom/worksite_wellness/business_tools/employee_interest_survey.doc)

When developing a recent survey, keep the following hints in mind –

• Ask mostly closed form questions, particularly when you’ll be sending the survey to a big number of employees. Closed form questions provide specific options and are easy to tabulate.

• Invite comments, suggestions and recommendations, or ask open-ended questions at the end of the survey. Open-ended items are more challenging to summarize.

• Include a brief explanatory cover letter with the survey with the signature of the company president. Be sure to include a statement about confidentiality and anonymity.

• Ask a group of representative employees to review the survey before it’s distributed. Find out when the questions will be understood by employees and won’t be objected to.

• Include demographic information at the starting, or end of the survey (gender, age, shift, site, department, etc.).

• Conduct a random drawing for a valued incentive item for all those who returned the survey. This could increase the response rate.

One rule to consider concerning surveys is when you’ve fewer than 500 employees, everyone should receive one. the advantage of everyone receiving a recent survey can be significant. When you’ve over 500 employees, a sample of the work population from each department will suffice.

The higher the response, the more valid and reliable the results. A minimum response of 40% to 50% is considered valuable.

A crucial first step in organizing your corporation’s wellness program is the formation of a wellness committee. the focus of the wellness committee is to plan, promote, and implement the program.

The committee establishes continuity, motivation, and broad ownership of the program as well as provides an excellent automobile for communication.

So who ought to be on the committee? Consider appointing the following people /departments to your committee –

• Top management within your company

• Union representatives

• Human resources  department

• Worker assistance program

• Information technology

• Communications

• Health and safety department

• Staff Members interested in wellness

Building a successful wellness program requires staff time as well as money. Some larger organizations may spend 20 hours per week for three to six months preparing all the steps prior to launching a wellness program.

Anywhere from 4 to 10 people  meeting monthly equals a wellness committee. A mission statement for the committee must be developed by the second meeting. This way, everyone knows what the committee is working toward.

Download sample minutes from a local worksite. (WORD DOC –  http – //www.ibx.com/pdfs/custom/worksite_wellness/employer_tools/walking_works_minutes.doc)

Once a wellness program has been established, the committee’s size and meeting schedule may change. Still, no fewer than 4 members ought to meet at least quarterly so the group – and the wellness program – does not fade away.

Support from management is essential to building a successful wellness program! Visible  upper-level management support is among the most critical factors in the success of a worksite Wellness Program.

Executive management executives are responsible for making sure that the organization meets its objectives. They can provide additional assistance by helping you to link your Wellness Program objectives to corporation outcomes, thereby positioning Wellness Program as a fundamental part of the organization.

It is important to create support and excitement for the program from all levels of the company including  upper-level management, mid-level management, and grass-root staff members.

The challenge for any Wellness Program coordinator is convincing  upper-level management about the potential value of Wellness Program to the organization and conceptualizing how Wellness Program programs can impact the organization in a meaningful manner.

The American Journal of Wellness is a excellent resource to assist you with obtaining convincing information on the advantages of a Wellness Program.

Wellness Program support from management can come in many different ways –

• Involvement in the planning process

• Distribution of funding for the wellness program

• Support for time given to the wellness program

• Participation in wellness events

• Leadership by management, such as the distribution of a letter of support for the program.

• Download a sample letter requesting  upper management support. (http – //www.ibx.com/pdfs/custom/worksite_wellness/corporation_tools/sr_mgt_support.doc)

• Flexibility of employee schedules to accommodate wellness activities