Category — Wellness Plans

To make a difference in the lives of your fellow personnel, you first need to understand that getting active is not simply a matter of choice. Some things are within our individual control, but others are shaped by the individuals  and circumstances in which we live and work.

It’s Easier to be Active When…

• We know what to do and have the confidence, skills and opportunity to do it.

• It’s fun. “Working out” at the gym does not appeal to everyone. Activities need to reflect what individuals  enjoy.

• Our friends, family or peers are active with us (or at least support us).

• We feel safe, thanks to well-lit streets or stairwells.

• Sidewalks, walking/bicycling trails, parks and fitness clubs are nearby.

• We’ve money to pay for equipment, instruction or memberships.

• We can walk, bike or take public transit to work.

• Active options like taking the stairs, having stretch breaks at meetings and going outside during lunch are “normal” in the workplace.

• Managers support and recognize staff member efforts. Better yet, they participate.

• We can juggle our work hours to fit in physical activity.

Think about how you could create some of these conditions in your worksite. By taking these steps, you will make it more likely that workforce both want and can be active during the workday.

Workplace exercise programs that focus only on individuals have limited success. Research shows that reaching individuals  in various ways gives the best chance of long-term success.

A strategy directed at multiple levels is also called an “ecological approach.”

The type of evaluation you pick depends on when you do it and the type of information you collect.

This section describes when to use three types –  formative, process and summative examinations.

During the Developing Stage

Use formative investigations in the planning stages to ensure that your wellness program is based on solid information. These investigations also help you to create effective and appropriate materials and procedures.

Examples of formative investigations include –

• records of upper management commitments to the wellness program

• employee interest surveys

• worksite environmental assessments

• pre-testing of wellness program materials

During Your Program

A process examination is used when the program is underway. These examinations help you –

• Track what is going well and what isn’t (and how to revise your wellness program)

• figure out if you are reaching the employees you want to reach

• describe the initiative to others

• monitor who’s participating in the program

During or After Your Initiative

Summative examinations happen when the program is already in place or completed. Use this type of examination to measure what workers like about the program and what can be improved.

All three types of investigations are useful.  The examination you select depends on the time and financial resources you have available.

What Do You Want to Achieve?

Think about why you’re investigating  and what your investigation is going to measure.

If you are trying to determine whether an initiative has been successful, see when you followed your mission statement and met your objectives and objectives.

When you do not have a mission statement or goals or goals, decide with executive management and your employee committee how your business will measure success.

For example, you are able to measure success by changes in –

• Physical measures (e.g., strength, flexibility, waist circumference of employees).

• Psychological measures (e.g., staff member morale, satisfaction levels, stress levels).

• Productivity measures (e.g., decrease in absenteeism rates, increased employee productivity).

Thinking About Employees

If you’re considering making improvements to the program, think about whether the program is still relevant and appropriate for workers. Find out if there are any barriers to participation in the health promotion program or to participation in exercise during the workday.

As staff are the ones participating in the wellness program, it’s crucial to give them a chance to provide feedback on the physical activity program.

Choosing an Evaluation Method

Decide on your investigation method. Both measurable results (e.g., absenteeism rates or questionnaire responses) and descriptive results (e.g., one-on-one interviews or focus groups) could be used to evaluate.

The method you select will depend on the time and funding available and what you want to measure.

Deciding Precisely how to Do the Analysis

Plan when and where you’ll do your investigation (and who’ll be evaluated). for additional information, peruse the “Types of Examinations” section on this website.

You might want to pilot test your evaluation (e.g., with members of the employee committee) before sending it out to employees.  The employee committee may also want to evaluate the program’s planning process.

Doing the Analysis

• Compare your results to baseline information (i.e., examination results from before the launch of your initiative). If you do not have this information, save your examination results to compare with later results.

You can also look at other information you might have, like staff member satisfaction survey results.

• Analyse and share meaningful and easy-to-understand results with senior level management and staff.

• Investigation results can be used to improve the current exercise program and/or to develop new wellness programs in future.

Before launching your Workplace Exercise Program, summarize the information you have accumulated and plan your next steps.

At this point, you have

• gained support from senior management for the Worksite Exercise Program

• formed an staff member committee

• evaluated what is possible in your workplace

• found out what workers want and need in a Workplace Exercise Program.

Based on this information, you are now ready to create your action plan to raise exercise at your worksite.

With the worker committee, take the following steps.

• Combine the results of the staff member survey with the workplace environmental assessment, and report to upper-level management and employees.

• Prioritize the possibilities at each of the “levels” (individual, social, organizational, community, policy) in the workplace listed in “Keys to Success”. for  instance, suppose a large group of workforce show an interest in bicycling to work.

Since these individuals  may want to shower and change after their commute each day, you may give showers and changing facilities priority in your workplace. Bike racks could also be important for making employees’ bikes secure during the workday.

• Consult the list of practical suggestions found this website.

• Create a mission statement (one which aligns with your organization’s overall mission statement) to define your purpose and help guide your process. Setting goals and goals will help you reachyour mission statement.

• Put together a plan or blueprint addressing what you’ve learned. Make wellness program and activity recommendations with timelines, identify resources and assign responsibilities. Revisit the list of tasks outlined in “Step 2 –  Forming an Employee Committee.” Seek upper management approval to move ahead.

• Once your program is in place, it’s imperative that you promote it to workforce. Organizing a launch is a good way to do this. A formal launch also demonstrates upper management commitment. If workforce do not know about the program, they can’t take advantage of it!

• Decide what you need to track to show that you’ve reached your objectives. Measure these factors before you begin. This way, when you evaluate later, you will know if there has been a change.

To succeed in encouraging exercise during the workday, you have to determine what staff members need and want. They are the individuals  whose behaviour you’re trying to influence, so it is vital to understand their needs and gain their support.

The Staff Member Interest Survey

Ask workers questions that allow you to assess such key characteristics as age, gender, social relationships, family responsibilities and current physical activity participation.

It is vital that you know this information so that your physical activity program meets employees’ needs. Employees aren’t going to participate in something they are not interested in.

Ask workforce what they want, and then implement changes that fit with their needs and working conditions. for example, workforce might not want to do activities that make them sweat, because they do not want to shower at work.

Ask workforce what the organization could do to make it easier for them to be more physically active during the workday. If there’s a common trend throughout your organization, a single change could affect a lot of people .

For example, suppose a large group shows interest in bicycling to work. They may want to shower and change after their commute. You may give priority to installing worksite showers and changing facilities. Secure bike storage may  be important as well.

If you’re launching a wellness program that requires going outside, begin in the spring. By the time winter comes around, participation is already a habit.

Involving staff members is key to increasing physical activity participation rates. Individuals  are more willing to take part in and support physical activity programs when they are involved in decision making.

The following tips will help you produce your own worker interest survey –

• Keep it short (no longer than 10 minutes to complete).

• Let workforce know why you’re doing the survey.

• Rather than using all open-ended questions, which could be long and challenging to analyze, ask individuals  to choose from a drop-down list of possible responses.

• Ask for comments and suggestions in one open-ended question at the end.

• Make it confidential and anonymous. Do not request information that may identify a person.

• If you are including a list of potential wellness programs or environmental changes, be sure your worksite has the facilities and resources to offer them.

Workplace Exercise Programs –  Forming an Employee Committee

While support from the top is vital to a successful initiative, support from other personnel is also important.

When you receive the go-ahead from management, identify others who are interested in the project and form a committee to help determine the next steps.

Depending on the size of your worksite and the amount of staff time management is willing to contribute, this committee might  be advisory or may plan and carry out the health promotion program.

The committee could include personnel from HR, occupational safety and health and finance. It’s also a good idea to involve staff from other areas who’ve an interest in promoting physical activity.

Terms of reference will define the boundaries of the project. for example, it’s important for the committee to have clearly defined and understood tasks. Possible tasks include the following –

• Reviewing your workplace environment

• Carrying out an employee interest survey.

• Developing a mission statement and objectives and objectives.

• Writing a exercise or wellness policy declaring the company’s commitment to exercise.

• Brainstorming health promotion program ideas.

• Promoting, communicating and marketing and advertising the program.

• Coordinating specific activities.

• Determining how the wellness program are going to be evaluated.

• Continually assessing what’s or isn’t working and adjusting the plan.

Before you make plans to encourage exercise during the workday, it is vital that you figure out what’s “doable” in your workplace.

You do not want to raise staff member expectations by offering something that is impossible as a result of funding or space limits.

For  instance, it’s not realistic to suggest putting in a workout facility if there’s no room for it. be open, nonetheless, to creative ways around limitations.

Workplace Physical Activity Programs – Finding out What’s Possible in Your Workplace

Consult recreation departments or fitness facilities for maps of the local walking trails or underground pedways. Excellent walking trails may  be right around the block from your workplace.

Listed here are some questions to help you assess your workplace –

• What facilities or opportunities does your work space offer that make it easier to be physically active during the workday? for example, do you have stairs, bike racks, showers, space for a exercise facility, factory walking lanes?

• What nearby facilities or opportunities could employees use to be more physically active during the workday? Are you close to sidewalks, walking trails, community centers, bicycle lanes for active commuting and/or exercise facilities?

• What resources are available?

• can the initiative access funds, personnel, space, equipment, facilities?

• What’s the structure of your company? for example, consider staff size, working hours, number of sites, unusual shifts, length of lunch breaks and ability to use flex time.

Gaining upper-level management support is crucial to the success of a physical activity initiative.

Whether the changes you’d like to make involve the work environment, overall policies or specific programs, successfully implementing your ideas depends on executive management support.

Support from senior level management is vital for three reasons –

• You’ll need their agreement to involve workforce in a worksite initiative.

• When senior management pays attention to and supports an program, staff also see the program as worthwhile.

• Management has the power to give work time and money to support the wellness program.

It’s imperative that you keep senior management involved throughout a exercise program, but at three points you will need support for –

• An overall concept, including a go-ahead to assess what staff members want to do within the limitations of your worksite environment.

• A detailed plan (based on the assessment above) coupled with resources to carry out the plan.

• Investigating the program to improve it along the way or to advocate for continuing or expanding the program.

Approaching Management

Before approaching senior level management to gain initial support for promoting exercise during the workday, research your options.

• Prep a business case obviously outlining how the business will benefit by promoting physical activity during the workday.

• List the individual, social and corporate benefits of exercise and the benefits of being active during the workday.

• Present some general ideas about what the wellness program might include.

Expect questions like the following from senior management –

• How this help our corporation?

• How can we motivate workers to participate?

• Just how much will it cost to run this health promotion program or make this change?

• How are we going to know a year from now when this was a good use of time and resources?

Ask managers about the range of activities they’d support. Quite often managers have ideas of their own they’d like to see acted on to enhance the workplace.

Remember to include middle managers when gaining support for your wellness program. They can be very helpful when you need volunteers to lead teams in corporate exercise challenges.

In today’s business environment, the health of staff members is usually related to the health of the business. Increased job satisfaction, improved morale, lowered illness and injuries, and increased productivity are just some of the advantages of having healthy staff members.

Promoting health in your worksite does not have to be complicated, expensive or time-consuming. Any company, large or small, can promote healthful eating and active living in the worksite. Here are some suggestions –

Healthful Eating

• For breakfast meetings, instead of serving donuts, big muffins, cookies, tea and coffee with cream and sugar, offer healthier alternatives such as bagels, small muffins, fresh fruit, water, 100% fruit juice and milk with coffee and tea.

• For lunch meetings, avoid serving chips, fried foods, rich pastas, and salads loaded with dressing. Instead, offer sandwiches, bagels, whole grain low fat crackers and cheese, 100 % fruit juice, water, salads with dressing on the side, vegetable and fruit trays.

• Reimburse employees for items purchased to improve their health (e.g. healthy eating cookbooks, consultation with a Registered Dietitian).

• Arrange for the cafeteria or food vendors to offer healthy food choices.

• Arrange to have healthy options like bottled water, 100% fruit juice, fruit bars, and raisins available in vending machines.

• Give a means for people  to share healthy recipes with each other (for example, posting recipes on the Intranet, on posters or by e-mail).

Active Living

• Plan events and group activities to encourage workers to become active, like walking programs, contests and challenge events, stretch breaks, team sports or participation in local or provincial events.

• Give onsite health specialists (e.g. personal trainers, fitness instructors) or incorporate this service in staff member assistance programs to help personnel work towards exercise goals.

• Provide a supportive environment in the worksite that makes healthful choices easy – bicycle racks, shower facilities, clean, safe and accessible stairwells, walking or running routes around the worksite, and fitness center facilities.

• Allow for flex time so that workforce have more opportunities to participate in fitness plans as part of their working day.

• Reimburse workforce for full or partial club membership fees, fitness class registrations, and fitness equipment buys.

• Give corporate gym memberships to reduce costs of individual memberships.

Keeping It Fresh!

Find a champion to –

• Organize lunch “n learn sessions to provide information and motivation for healthy consuming and active living.

• Invite demonstrators to provide cooking lessons or tips for making healthful foods.

• Post a rotating list in a common room of local restaurants that offer healthy food choices on their menus.

• Distribute information to educate workforce on portion sizes.

• Include physical activity and nutrition information in newsletters, pay check inserts, bulletin boards or e-mails.

• Plan activities that promote healthful consuming and exercise. for example, begin a year-round lunch-time walking club, and special activities

Can a small organization support employee wellness? Absolutely! Indeed, in some ways it is easier to create a healthy worksite in a small organization than in a large corporation.

Limited resources, particularly in small corporations, can prevent an corporation from establishing up a wellness program. Reasons can include –

• lack of budget resources;

• lack of staff;

• lack of senior-level support;

• little knowledge of the wellness concept and;

• concern about making wellness available to all staff.

As reported by the Health Promotion Councils of America, some small corporation owners might have the wrong idea of what’s involved in having a health promotion program.

Some companys aren’t sure a health promotion program would really work and others feel that trying to change personal lifestyle behaviours is intruding and “none of their business”.  

Perhaps they do not understand that it does not need to be costly and that they do not need special staff. They might not realize that some staff would like to see some healthful changes and would help make things happen in their worksite.

It can be Done

Many small corporations have found ways to have a health promotion program that works for them. They keep the cost and effort to a minimum and still have results that are positive for everyone.

In 2006, Graham Lowe wrote a report on the best places to work in Calgary. He said that healthy worksites often have a “positive worksite culture”.  In a worksite with a positive culture, individuals  feel appreciated, valued, and trusted.

Dr. Lowe says it’s easier for a small worksite to have a positive worksite culture than for a large worksite. Many staff members prefer to work for a small company, he says, because it provides more opportunities to work closely with others and create a sense of community.

In his report, Dr. Lowe says the most successful businesses with fewer than 100 workforce have –

• great staff member benefits;

• policies that promote a balance between work and personal life;

• flexible schedules;

• competitive salaries;

• great leadership with an emphasis on teamwork;

• environmentally responsible company policies;

• procedures for seeking worker input; and

• A focus on placing employees’ personal well-being ahead of the personal gain of corporation leaders.

All or most of these elements are also components of a good health promotion program.

Tips and Ideas

There are many ways to include wellness in a small business. You do not necessarily need a wellness specialist or a fancy fitness club.

What you do need is support from senior level management and a committee of several committed people . Here are some ideas that your worksite can consider.

Communications and Promotion

• Send out a regular “wellness” newsletter in hard copy or online. Or send out a simple message such as the weekly Healthy U Hot Tip.

• Use promotions that are already designed such as Healthy Workplace Week.

Active Living and Healthy Eating

• Make certain to encourage staff to sign up for the Stairway to Health stair climbing competition.

• Get pedometers for personnel and track their steps.

• Rent a nearby school or community health and fitness center and offer exercise classes.

• Hire a local fitness instructor to give classes or lead stretch breaks. Costs can be shared with staff members.

• Install secure bike parking.

• Serve healthy alternatives at organization meetings and lunches.

Policy and Organizational Programs

• Hire an ergonomics specialist to assess workstations.

• Develop policies to support work-life balance (for example, mandatory vacations, flextime, limits to work and e-mail on personal time).

• Give a wellness subsidy for a selection of health and leadership activities and courses.

• Offer financial incentives to be healthful.

• Give wellness incentives as rewards and recognition for a job well done.

• Conduct an organizational health audit (NQI Healthful Worksite Week).

• Become a partner with the community (for example, daycare, fitness centers, festivals, parks, restaurants).

• Spread the workload. Make sure to set up a wellness committee.

Small organizations may not have a lot of time, money, or human resources (HR) available for a health promotion program. But they often have a immense advantage over big companies-a positive workplace culture.

That is a excellent foundation for a wellness program. When staff are satisfied, enjoy their work environment, they’re more productive, and tend to be healthier.  With a little creativity and passion, small companies can create successful wellness programs.

Get support from management, form a committee of two or more and discover the possibilities!

Corporate health promotion is evolving.

Early efforts to develop healthy worksites focused on safety at the worksite and injury prevention for employees.

More lately, wellness programs are designed to assist staff members to choose healthier behaviours like being more physically active or quitting use of tobacco.

Campaigns to elevate awareness, educational sessions to elevate knowledge, opportunities to learn new skills, and changes to policies to make it easier for workers to make healthy choices are often included.

This approach is taken because the workplace is a good way to reach individuals , since most adult American Citizens spend a large part of their day at work.

While safety and lifestyle programs are two aspects that contribute to the health of personnel, company health promotion is more effective when a third factor is brought into the equation-the environment at work.

Exactly how the worksite affects health.

Increasingly, it’s recognized that the workplace itself has a powerful affect on individuals ’s health. When individuals  are satisfied with their job, they are more productive and tend to be healthier. When employees feel that the environment at work is negative, they feel stressed.

Stress has a big impact on staff member mental and physical health, and in turn, on productivity.

Consultant Graham Lowe has identified five components of worksite culture that directly affect employees’ health and the health of the business overall-credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and friendship.

The underlying idea is that organizations must genuinely care about the wellness of their workers.

Corporations today who want to attract and keep good staff members have leaders who understand the connection between worker satisfaction and worker health and believe that corporate wellness is a business strategy.  

Their upper management practices include making reasonable demands on time and energy, involving workers in decision making, rewarding work well done, openly communicating, and providing support to balance work and home life.

Companys know that staff members are looking for jobs that pay well, have good benefits, are fascinating, and include great safety and health programs. So in today’s competitive hiring market, it is become more important than ever for organizations to enhance job satisfaction and ensure that staff members enjoy being on the job.

Company wellness benefits both employers and workers.

Precisely how does company wellness benefit the business?

A health promotion program can help a corporation to –

• Attract and keep employees;

• reduce the costs of disability, drugs, and absenteeism;

• reduce the effects of a stressful worksite;

• reduce health costs or keep them contained; and

• improve morale by creating a happy, supportive environment.

Just how does company wellness benefit employees?

Workers of businesses that have a health promotion program are likely to have –

• increased awareness and knowledge of ways to improve their health;

• A better (less stressful) workplace;

• increased protection from injury;

• improved health and well-being;

• higher morale and greater job satisfaction;

• increased productivity and effectiveness at work;

• decreased personal health care costs; and

• A more relaxed/flexible approach to health issues.

Both companys and workforce have a responsibility for building a healthy worksite. Employees are expected to arrive at work in good health, and the company is expected to provide an environment that permits workforce to maintain good health, enjoy their work, and contribute to the organization’s success.

Company wellness is more than a “lunch and learn” program. It is about developing a “people  first” approach to doing business.

It is about taking care of workforce, establishing a positive work environment, and paying attention to the factors that keep workforce healthful and happy at work.

A good health promotion program has an impact on employees’ mental, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wellness.