Employee Health Promotion

Many corporations recognize the need for a extensive strategy to help their workforce be the best they can be.

They also know that successful and sustainable wellness programs are much more than several “lunch and learn” programs.

Your health promotion program ought to include a broad range of key elements, including -

o  A clear agenda or statement of goals.

o  A plan characterized by passion.

o  An effective leader who is creative and organized.

o  A focus on short-term outcomes combined with an overall vision.

o  A measurable strategy (what’s important gets measured!).

o  A policy of celebrating and communicating success.

Creating Your Wellness Program

Plan carefully to ensure that your health promotion program is seen as part of a broad commitment to maintaining the health and safety of all workforce. Yes, creating a good plan takes a lot of effort and time (and sometimes resources).

But planning is essential and well worth the investment required.  As the saying goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail.”

You could start by conducting a recent survey of worker needs and interests. When you take this route, pay attention to the results and plan as a result. When you don’t, the staff will not support the wellness program.

Collecting information about what you’re already offering is also a good idea. for example, you may be surprised by your business or organization’s current wellness and health policies.

Another important step is to establish an agenda and/or measurable objectives to help you determine priorities, timelines and the resources required to launch the health promotion program. be bold and creative in your planning, but also realistic.

Leadership

The leader of your health promotion program should be able to wear many hats.  The leader’s duties include -

o  Creating a vision of the wellness program after receiving input from all interested staff.

o  Communicating ideas and a rationale throughout the organization (to senior level managers and fellow personnel alike).

o  Keeping others enthusiastic about and committed to a wellness program.

o  Serving as a role model and wellness coach.

o  Developing and maintaining leadership skills like giving effective presentations and being well-organized.

Good leaders avoid becoming overwhelmed by overly ambitious and complex plans. You might want to stick to short-term objectives at the beginning so that you get immediate and visible results.

These first steps are the basis for a successful health promotion program.

Good leaders involve as many people  as possible in the health promotion program. for  instance, you will want to form a committee made up of a diverse group of personnel to provide advice during the planning phase. This approach will -

o  Be sure to help you to obtain valuable information from all parts of the company.

o  Develop ambassadors who’ll help you implement the health promotion program.

Keeping Score and Celebrating

Always rememberhow you will monitor progress and evaluate the success of your wellness program. Examination authorizes you to -

o  Identify areas of excellence.

o  Identify factors that affect participation in your health promotion programs.

o  Gain management’s support for your efforts (and maintain that support).

o  Better understand issues that need attention.

o  Learn from mistakes and change the health promotion program to keep it on the right track.

When you evaluate your wellness program, you can measure such things as -

o  Employee absences.

o  Staff Member turnover rates.

o  The price of your staff member assistance program.

o  The cost of benefits, including short-term and long-term disability payments.

o  The fee of your drug plan.

o  Accident rates and safety records.

o  Employees’ participation in wellness programs (and whether they are staying in the wellness programs).

o  Changes in employees’ health habits.

o  Level of employees’ awareness of healthy lifestyle issues.

o  Results of your environmental wellness audit.

o  Other noticeable changes in areas like morale and job satisfaction.

A good communications plan provides ongoing information to employees (including senior level managers) and fosters excitement about the health promotion program.

Positive reinforcement is part of an effective communications plan. for example, you might recognize people who’ve helped set up the wellness program or offer tangible rewards for achieving goals.

Everyone needs to know whether staff are getting involved, enjoying the activities and getting some benefit from them. Showing that a wellness program has financial benefits is usually an important factor to maintain strong support from the top.

When you pay attention to the key elements of your wellness program and communicate openly and continuously while planning and delivering it, you will lay a solid foundation and leave a legacy that lasts.

How does exercise fit into a full-time staff member’s busy schedule? Oftentimes, it doesn’t.

One possible solution to this challenge is to make exercise a part of the work day. Obviously, being active at work is advantageous for personnel.

But businesss also benefit from having fit, energetic and healthy employees who are more productive.

The challenges

Your job takes up a lot of your time. In addition to the hours you spend actually working, there’s the time required to get to and from work and take lunch and rest breaks during the work day.

In the end, there are a limited number of hours left over for the rest of your life. This work life imbalance is specifically true for Alberta, where statistics show that we work exceptionally hard.

A lot of jobs today are sedentary, and many American Citizens drive to work.  The pressures of work may also cause us to eat lunch at our desks and skip breaks.

Then, after work or on the weekends we juggle household chores, family responsibilities and social engagements.

Wellness Programs –  Get started on a worksite fitness program

Management plays a key role in building a culture that promotes health.  The leaders at your workplace influence the various policies and the informal or formal practices, and these policies and practices affect your attitude towards healthy active living.

Start by talking to your boss about the benefits of a healthful active workplace.  The best way to ensure the success of a workplace fitness program is to have the senior management on side and cheering you on.

Ask your boss to consider taking these actions -

o  Send a memo or message about the importance of health and healthy living that encourages staff to take an active break each day.

o  Provide for flexible work hours that help staff to be more physically active. for  instance, they could need to take a longer lunch break to attend an exercise class, making up the time by coming to work early or staying late.

o  Make available a meeting room or other suitable office space for noon-hour yoga or exercise classes, and hire a teacher to lead them, or use videos.

When your boss agrees to support a worksite fitness program, don’t forget to say thanks.

You do not need an onsite fitness center

Only very big businesses can afford on-site fitness facilities such as exercise equipment or squash courts. Still, most businesss can take other affordable steps to support workforce who wish to become more active.

For  instance -

o  Arrange for discounted fees for personnel at a health club, recreation centeror YMCA facility.

o  Install showers and a place to hang a towel. (Make sure the showers are cleaned regularly and that women who use them will feel secure.)

o  Install bicycle racks or a locked enclosure that is safe, conveniently located and well lighted.

o  Hold walking meetings and set up lunch-hour walking groups

o  Make workforce aware of safe and pleasant walking routes near the workplace, as well as nearby facilities that offer fitness plans (such as walking, swimming, running, yoga, stretching).

o  Hire a certified instructor to teach staff about health, fitness and how to become more active.

Any size and kind of workplace can support personnel who wish to be physically active. It’s highly desirable to get senior level management on side.

Even when your boss isn’t supportive, you can still find ways to get moving more. Make certain to set up activities for groups and individuals, and encourage your colleagues to join in.