Workplace Wellness Plan Timing

As they say: “timing is everything.” Use the guidelines below to guide the timing of Workplace Wellness Plan activities and data collection.

Timing: Workplace Wellness Plan Start-up
• Consider the optimal time to start a new Employee Wellness Program. Take into account preferences of the target population and other factors that could affect enrollment and participation.
• By way of example, coordinating the start of an adult weight management initiative with the start of school in August or September may be a good tie-in with a “fresh start.”
• On the other hand, starting an adult weight management initiative In January may not be a great idea because of the constraints that weather may put on exercising outdoors.
• Make use of other timing cycles at your company. Planning a marketing blitz just after the PCS turnover has been completed is a good way to let new personnel know what Workplace Wellness Plan options are available.

Timing: Workplace Wellness Plan Participant Support
• Consider how frequently Workplace Wellness Plan sessions should be offered to provide the best support and education for members and the best opportunity for success.
• Get feedback from members regarding what session frequencies work best for them.
• Consider the timing for other support mechanisms like email encouragement. What timing of those messages will benefit members most: Weekly? Bi-monthly? Monthly?

Timing: Workplace Wellness Plan Data Collection
• Collecting information is an excellent way to track member progress and also to identify potential problems within a Employee Wellness Program. So, give some thought to the frequency and timing of data collection.
• Select metrics that can realistically change during the Workplace Wellness Plan implementation time period. By way of example, BMI and weight may not change very much during a 10-week Employee Wellness Program; however, step counts are more likely to noticeably change.
• Some information, such as member responsiveness to out-of-class assignments (like food journals) and other interim data (like step counts) will provide important information needed to “adjust fire” as needed and make Workplace Wellness Plan changes if something is not working.
• Be flexible regarding data collection frequency. Instead of requiring that members complete an exercise log every day, for example, consider asking for a “snapshot” summary from two or three days during the week. You will still get information to review, but members will have an easier time complying with the assignment.

Timing: Workplace Wellness Plan Follow-up
• Because the we are such a mobile population, it’s best to plan some sort of post-Employee Wellness Program follow-up data collection within two to four months after the Workplace Wellness Plan ends.
• You can always try to collect additional follow-up data at 6 or 12 months after Workplace Wellness Plan completion. However, if you collect the information sooner, you’ll at least have collected some short term Workplace Wellness Plan impact information before members are lost to follow-up.