Category — health screenings

Can a small corporation support corporate wellness? Absolutely! Indeed, in some ways it is easier to develop a healthy workplace in a small corporation than in a large business.

Limited resources, specifically in small businesses, can prevent an business from setting up a wellness program. Reasons can include -

• lack of budget resources;

• lack of staff;

• lack of senior-level support;

• little knowledge of the wellness theory and;

• concern about making wellness available to all staff members.

As reported by the Wellness Councils of America, some small corporation owners might have the wrong idea of what is involved in having a wellness program.

Some corporations are not sure a program would really work and others feel that attempting 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 may not realize that some staff would like to see some healthy changes and would help make things happen in their workplace.

It can be Done

Many small companies have found ways to have a wellness program that works for them. They keep the cost and effort to a minimum and still have results that are positive for everybody.

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

Dr. Lowe says it is easier for a small workplace to have a positive workplace culture than for a large workplace. Many workers 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 companies with fewer than 100 employees have -

• excellent worker benefits;

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

• flexible schedules;

• competitive salaries;

• excellent leadership with an emphasis on teamwork;

• environmentally responsible corporation policies;

• procedures for seeking employee input; and

• a focus on placing employees’ personal wellness ahead of the personal gain of company leaders.

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

Tips and Ideas

There are many ways to include wellness in a small company. You do not necessarily need a wellness expert or a fancy health club.

What you do need is support from management and a committee of a few committed people . Here are some ideas that your workplace can consider.

Communications and Promotion

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

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

Active Living and Healthful Eating

•  Be sure to encourage staff to sign up for the Stairway to Health stair climbing competition.

• Get pedometers for staff members and track their steps.

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

• Hire a local fitness instructor to give classes or lead stretch breaks. Costs may be shared with employees.

• Install secure bike parking.

• Serve healthy alternatives at company meetings and lunches.

Policy and Organizational Programs

• Hire an ergonomics professional to assess workstations.

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

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

• Offer financial incentives to be healthy.

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

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

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

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

Small corporations might not have a lot of time, money, or human resources available for a wellness program. But they often have a enormous advantage over large companies-a positive workplace culture.

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

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

Corporate wellness is evolving.

Early efforts to develop healthful workplaces focused on safety at the worksite and injury prevention for staff members.

More recently, programs are designed to assist employees to choose healthier behaviours like being more physically active or quitting tobacco use.

Campaigns to increase awareness, educational sessions to increase knowledge, opportunities to learn new skills, and changes to policies to make it easier for staff members to make healthful 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 employees, corporate wellness is more effective when a third factor is brought into the equation-the environment at work.

How the workplace affects health.

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

Stress has a large impact on employee mental and physical health, and in turn, on productivity.

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

The underlying idea is that corporations must genuinely care about the well-being of their staff members.

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

Their 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.

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

Corporate wellness benefits both employers and staff members.

How does corporate wellness benefit the company?

A wellness program can help a corporation to -

• attract and keep employees;

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

• reduce the effects of a stressful workplace;

• reduce medical costs or keep them contained; and

• improve morale by creating a happy, supportive environment.

How does corporate wellness benefit employees?

Staff Members of corporations that have a wellness 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;

• reduced personal healthcare costs; and

• a more relaxed/flexible approach to health issues.

Both businesss and workers have a responsibility for creating a healthy workplace. Staff Members are expected to arrive at work in good health, and the business is expected to provide an environment that allows workers to maintain good health, enjoy their work, and contribute to the corporation’s success.

Corporate wellness is more than a “lunch and learn” program. It’s about developing a “people  first” approach to doing company.

It’s about taking care of employees, establishing a positive work environment, and compensating attention to the factors that keep employees healthy and happy at work.

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

Ideally, you’ll develop an overall plan for a wellness program before beginning to plan specific wellness programs. for example, you can start by getting the following elements in place -

• support from  senior management

• a wellness committee or team

• information about the wellness needs and interests of employees

• a budget

• program objectives

• an examination plan

Even when you’ve few financial and/or HR, you can still take a “micro” approach. for example, you may focus on only one specific issue or problem. Creativity, enthusiasm and planning can help you overcome limitations.

This article will give you some ideas for establishing up wellness programs. Even the smallest steps can have an impact.

Whether you pick to begin with a single program or create something larger, planning is essential. First think about the big picture and then look after the details.

Ask yourself these questions -

• Identify an action. What health-related program will fit the bill and best suit the employees and organization?

• Promote. How can you most effectively get the word out to employees? What are the opportunities for promotion? Consider everything, because employees have access to and pay attention to different kinds of messages.

In a average workplace, workers get information from e-mail, newsletters, bulletins,  flyers, meeting announcements and fellow workers.

• Deliver. Who’s the best person or group to put the program into action? Ask other businesses about approaches they have used. Decide on your budget before making a decision.

• Evaluate. What should you evaluate to determine success? Do you need hard data and/or testimonials from individual participants?

We recommend the following when planning your initiative -

• creating and communicating clear objectives

• targeting your audience

• determining on the kind of program or campaign

The Elements of Wellness Programming

Programs to promote wellness in the workplace do not need to be restricted to a single area. You may think corporate wellness only involves promoting positive personal health, e.g., blood pressure (BP) clinics,  flyers on heart disease, “lunch and learn” workshops on consuming habits and short-term physical activity programs.

These activities are important, but corporate wellness should also be part of a corporation’s company strategy and go beyond traditional programming.

Taking a expanded approach, the National Quality Institute lately identified three key elements of a healthful workplace -

• physical environment

• social environment and personal resources

• health practices

Specific Program Ideas

Physical Environment

Look after workers’ health and safety and establish regulations to support their health and safety. Consider providing the following -

• Safe bike storage and shower and/or change facilities for cyclists and other commuters.

• Fridges for staff members to keep snacks and meals fresh and/or healthy snacks in vending machines and cafeterias.

• Ergonomic assessments.

• Subsidies to help workers join local recreation centers.

• Classrooms/conference rooms available for booking activities like yoga, pilates, tai chi, meditation and aerobics.

• Safe and pleasant stairwells that invite workers to use them.

• Assessing the potential for violence at work with plans to deal with such risks.

• Good lighting and sound and air quality.

Social Environment

Human relationships and communication, as well as ways of doing business, can affect an employee’s mental and physical health. Companies should consider the following -

• respectful workplace policies that provide safe worksites

• policies on flex time

• policies on working from home

• employee satisfaction surveys

• leadership coaching

• resiliency training

• staff member assistance programs

To foster a positive social culture or climate, consider employees’ needs, which include -

• being respected

• a sense of belonging, purpose and mission

• freedom of expression

• protection from harassment and discrimination

What you’ve “always done” might not address current staff member needs. Ensuring that people  enjoy being at work isn’t an easy task, but making the right changes can have a gigantic impact.

Health Practices

Offer programs and set policies that help staff members remain healthy or improve their health while at work. Consider offering the following -

• “Lunch and learn sessions” on healthful habits such as sleeping better, eating on the run, healthful snacks, using a pedometer, pole walking, work-life balance, time management, stress management, resiliency, parenting and reading nutrition labels.

• Stop use of tobacco clinics or subsidies to help workers quit.

• Health risk (assessment|appraisal}s, including fitness assessments.

• Programs to address the issues raised in the health risk (assessment|appraisal}s.

• Healthy snacks served at meetings and conferences.

Personal Corporate Wellness Tips

If there’s no wellness program at your worksite, do not let that stop you from keeping healthy. Perhaps your example will spark a movement toward a healthier workplace.

Here are a few ideas to think about -

• be active at work. There are many ways to bring activity into your workday. Walk to work, even if it’s just one way. Hold walking meetings. Bike to work. Use the stairs. Walk to a workmate’s office in lieu of sending an e-mail.

• Eat well at work. Pack a healthy snack and meal. Place a bottle of water at your desk or workstation. Eat breakfast and eat regularly during the day. Take turns bringing a basket of fruit for peers’ snacks. Order healthy snacks for meetings.

• Maintain work-life balance. Be certain to work efficiently so you can leave on time. Conduct short, effective meetings. Leave your work at work and do not take it home.

Minimize social chit-chat. Make sure to set up your office to enhance your work. Prevent clutter. Plan and prioritize to ensure that the most important things get done first.

There’s no limit to the number or variety of wellness programs. A key to success is planning well and ensuring that you can evaluate the results so that you can sustain momentum.

Talk to other wellness practitioners to find out what works well for them. Listen to your peers to determine their needs and interests. and do not forget to promote, promote, promote.

A lot of organizations recognize the need for a robust strategy to help their employees 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 wellness program should include a broad range of key elements, including -

• A clear agenda or statement of goals.

• A plan characterized by passion.

• an effective leader who is creative and organized.

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

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

• A policy of celebrating and communicating success.

Planning Your Wellness Program

Plan carefully to ensure that your wellness program is seen as part of a broad commitment to maintaining the health and safety of all employees. 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 might begin by conducting a recent survey of staff member needs and interests. When you take this route, pay attention to the results and plan thus. When you don’t, the workers will not support the program.

Gathering information about what you are already offering is also a good idea. for  instance, you might be surprised by your company or corporation’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 program. be bold and creative in your planning, but also realistic.

Leadership

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

• Developing a vision of the wellness program after receiving input from all interested workers.

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

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

• Serving as a role model and wellness coach.

• Developing and maintaining leadership skills such as 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 starting so that you get immediate and visible results.

These first steps are the basis for a successful wellness program.

Good leaders involve as many individuals  as possible in the program. for example, you will want to form a committee made up of a diverse group of staff members to provide advice during the planning phase. This approach will -

• Make sure to help you to obtain valuable information from all parts of the corporation.

• Develop ambassadors who will help you implement the wellness program.

Keeping Score and Celebrating

Always keep in mindhow you will monitor progress and evaluate the success of your wellness program. Investigation permits you to -

• Identify areas of excellence.

• Identify factors that affect participation in your programs.

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

• Better understand issues that need attention.

• Learn from mistakes and change the program to keep it on the right track.

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

• Worker absences.

• Employee turnover rates.

• the cost of your staff member assistance program.

• the cost of benefits, including short-term and long-term disability payments.

• the cost of your drug plan.

• Accident rates and safety records.

• Employees’ participation in wellness programs (and whether they’re staying in the programs).

• Changes in employees’ health habits.

• Level of employees’ awareness of healthful lifestyle issues.

• Results of your environmental wellness audit.

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

A good communications plan provides ongoing information to workers (including senior managers) and fosters excitement about the wellness program.

Positive reinforcement is part of an effective communications plan. for  instance, you could recognize individuals  who have helped set up the program or offer tangible rewards for achieving goals.

Everyone needs to know whether workers are getting involved, enjoying the activities and getting some benefit from them. Showing that a wellness program has financial benefits is often an important factor in maintaining 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 physical activity fit into a full-time employee’s busy schedule? Often, 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 beneficial for employees.

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 not many hours left over for the rest of your life. This work life imbalance is particularly true for Alberta, where statistics show that we work exceptionally hard.

Many 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 workplace fitness program

Management plays a key role in creating 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 healthful active living.

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

Ask your boss to consider taking these actions -

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

• Provide for flexible work hours that help staff to be more physically active. for example, 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.

• 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.

If your boss agrees to support a workplace fitness program, do not forget to say thanks.

You do not need an on-site gym

Only very large businesses can afford onsite fitness facilities such as exercise equipment or squash courts. Still, most businesss can take other cheap steps to support employees who wish to become more active.

For  instance -

• Arrange for discounted fees for employees at a health club, recreation centeror YMCA facility.

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

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

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

• Make workers aware of safe and pleasant walking routes near the workplace, as well as nearby facilities that offer exercise programs (like walking, swimming, running, yoga, stretching).

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

Any size and type of workplace can support workers who wish to be physically active. It’s highly desirable to get management on side.

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

We all know that physical activity is an important part of health and wellness. But sometimes it’s hard to find time for physical activity.

Lack of time is the number one barrier that individuals  say prevents them from participating in physical activity on a regular basis.

The good news is that even short sessions of physical activity help your health. Research has shown that 10-minute sessions that add up to between 30 and 60 minutes a day can produce meaningful health benefits.

Additionally, there are numerous ways busy people  can use to be more active. These strategies include -

• multi-tasking

• being active at work

• being active with loved ones

• scheduling activity into daily life

Different strategies work for different individuals . Being familiar with the different strategies is key to adopting and maintaining an active lifestyle.

Read on to check out strategies you can try. With enough commitment, some of them are sure to work for you.

Strategy #1 -  Multi-tasking

The first strategy you can try is multi-tasking. This means doing things you already do, but in a more physically active way.

This way you get done what you need to get done and you get physical activity at the same time.

For example, you’re already travelling to work and other places. Instead of taking the automobile or the bus every time, try using active methods of transportation like biking, roller skating, walking and skateboarding.

If you can’t use active transportation for a whole trip, try to be active for at least part of the trip. If you’re riding the bus, for example, get off several blocks early and walk the rest of the way.

Active transportation benefits your body by increasing your activity level, and it also benefits your neighbourhood and the environment by decling the number of cars on the road.

You can also get physical activity while doing housework and chores.

When you are working around home, try to be creative and look for the active choice. for  instance, if you are cleaning the crack between the fridge and the counter, why not move the fridge so you are able to clean the area better and build your strength at the same time?

For outdoor work, opt for the old-fashioned way of doing things, as they’re typically more active. for example, use a snow shovel rather than a snow blower.

Strategy #2 -  be Active at Work

Many Americans spend eight hours a day or more working at a sedentary job. Here are a few simple ways to keep your body moving during the workday.

The physical activity will revitalize you and help you be more productive.

When you’re working at your desk, try sitting on a stability ball or disk for part of your day (30 minutes to an hour). This gives your back and abs a workout.

Take active breaks at least once a day. During your coffee break, attempt doing some yoga, stretching or taking a quick walk.

You may find that walking up and down the stairs a few times does a better job of rejuvenating you than the java jolt.

Speaking of the stairs, take them in lieu of the elevator whenever you can. the stairs in your building are an opportunity to get your heart pumping.

Organize walking meetings at work. Getting outside and having meetings in a less formal setting is a excellent way to be active, makes the workday more fun and encourages creative ideas for work projects.

Strategy #3 -  be Active With Your Loved Ones

Do exercise with your family, friends, neighbours and pets. With this strategy, you and your loved ones are doing some excellent multi-tasking together -  enjoying quality time with each other and getting some exercise that you all need to be healthful.

Go for walks, swims or bicycle rides together. Play Frisbee, soccer and other games and sports together. When you take your kids to the park, play with them instead of just watching them play.

A lot of community facilities offer courses that keep you and your children active at the same time. Research these courses and take one or two.

You can even be active when you’re watching your children do activities without you. for example, when your child plays hockey, take the opportunity to walk up and down the stairs in the stands a few times.

When you feel self-conscious about doing it alone, why not gather a group of parents to do it together?

Strategy #4 -  Schedule Exercise into Your Day

Schedule your exercise directly into your daytimer. Be sure to set a specific time and place for exercising. Make your exercise appointments a priority, just as important as any other appointment you put in your daytimer.

To help you stay committed to your physical activity appointments, you may want to make appointments that involve other individuals  -  like by meeting with a fitness trainer, taking an exercise class or jogging with a friend.

When you’re not sure how many appointments to make or what you must be doing during your appointments, try consulting with a fitness trainer. A fitness trainer can help you develop a physical activity plan and schedule.

The bottom line -  figure out what works best for you. Experiment with the strategies. Find inspiration by talking to other people  about how they keep active and what strategies they use.

Be creative and patient while you figure out what strategies work best for you. and be aware that your “best strategy” may change from time to time.

With enough effort, you will discover what works for you. Then, run with it!

• Commit to workplace physical activity in policy statements and commit funding to physical activity initiatives.

• Clearly communicating the advantages of being physically active during the workday reinforces the corporation’s commitment to assisting all workers be active.

Use meetings, bulletin boards, newsletters and e-mail to reach as many employees as possible at least once a year.

• Offer flex time for physical activity. Invite staff members who actively commute to work or exercise during lunchtime to make up any missed time later in the day.

• Allow staff to work part time, so that they can participate in exercise.

• Include a physical activity account in your benefit plan to pay for or subsidize fitness memberships, assessments, classes, counselling or instruction.

• Provide interest-free loans for workers to purchase bikes or good walking shoes/runners.

• Conduct periodic surveys of staff exercise preferences, and offer a variety of options to suit those interests and needs.

• Hire certified people  to lead stretch breaks or exercise programs or classes. for help in finding accredited fitness leaders, visit Alberta’s Provincial Fitness Unit.

• Recognize employees who participate in exercise. Survey employees first to determine how they prefer to be recognized, e.g., through company newsletters, appreciation lunches, rewards and/or thank you notes.

• Give child care and other family-friendly amenities during physical activities that occur after work.

• Avoid scheduling meetings over lunch.

• Make sure to encourage active breaks in lieu of coffee breaks.

• Have active fundraisers rather than bingos. for example, staff members might climb the Calgary Tower stairs or take turns riding a stationary bicycle for 24 hours.

• Make birthday celebrations active times. Instead of a lunch, invite the birthday person to pick an activity. Options could include a session with a yoga teacher or an evening ski trip.

• Promote a casual dress day. One study found that employees who dress casually were more physically active.

• Make certain that your building’s stairwells are clean, attractive and safe, and post signs encouraging workers to use the stairs.

• Establish a wellness newsletter or intranet.

• Promote the Activity Tracker and encourage workers to track their exercise every week.

• be creative, and make the most of the workspace you have. for example, mark off a safe walking path inside or around the building.

You may also set up a training circuit, highlighting features of the worksite like stairs.

• Offer exercise opportunities at different times to accommodate night-, shift-, and part-time staff members.

• for employees in remote or satellite offices, offer equal access to key programs via the intranet. Adapt challenges to suit their environment and take advantage of local facilities and resources.

• Make physical activity available to staff members with special needs. Adapt information and activities for any staff who are visually impaired or physically disabled as well as for people  who speak English as a second language.

• Educate staff members about physical activity using information from reputable sources such as the Alberta Center for Active Living.

• Offer facilities that invite on-site exercise. Possibilities include bike racks, an exercise room, change rooms with lockers and showers, and safe and attractive grounds for walking.

• Hold walking meetings.

• Be certain to encourage staff members to walk to coworkers’ offices in lieu of e-mailing or phoning.

• Be certain to set up a stretching room. This low-cost initiative requires only a room, stretching mats, stability balls and medicine balls. Put up posters that show stretches and exercises.

• Provide incentives like shoe bags, ball caps, T-shirts or water bottles to reward staff participation.

• Loan out pedometers for three months, so that employees can find out how many steps they ordinarily take and how much activity they need to add to get basic health benefits.

• Make space for staff members to plant and maintain a flowerbed or garden at the workplace. Use any resulting produce for meetings and potluck lunches or donate it to charity.

• Plan a workplace health fair.

• Hire a certified fitness professional to design and manage an onsite workout facility.

• Supply workers with active wear that shows off the company logo.

• Organize a launch event to create excitement about upcoming activities and to create a social climate that establishes being active as the norm.

• Organize and promote monthly or bi-monthly corporation events that are fun and active, e.g., picnics with physical games, staff tournaments and dragon boat racing.

Be certain to encourage families to join in by including all-ages events such as relay races, soccer matches, bocce ball and baseball games.

• Begin a swim club at a local pool. Invite groups of staff members to swim the distance of a nearby lake. Convert kilometres to lengths and reward staff members who complete the swim.

Make sure to set up a challenge between employees and managers to see who covers the greatest distance.

• Post a sign-up board where staff can become a member of  group or find a buddy to participate in activities of interest.

• Arrange a company badminton tournament that lasts several months, with each worker playing once a week. Post the results as the tournament progresses.

• Organize an office Olympics, World Cup, Wimbledon or Masters Games. Invite teams to compete in several activities over a month. Reward everyone who participates.

• Develop a point system in which one minute of activity equals one point. Be sure to set a target, and post a chart where all staff members can track their points. Reward the first group to reach that target.

• Co-ordinate a stair climb challenge. Post a chart at the top of the stairwell, and encourage staff members to track the number of flights of stairs they climb each workday.

Be certain to set up teams, and award a prize to the first team to climb the equivalent of Mount Everest.

• Post and promote a sign-up board for lunchtime walking groups.

• Organize a walk “across the U.S. ” Pick a route, figure out how many steps it’d take to walk that distance and challenge workers to do it.

Provide or loan pedometers to workers, and ask them to record the number of steps they take. Or, if you can’t afford pedometers, track the minutes walked. Be sure to set up a challenge between workers and managers to see who can walk across the U.S.  first.

• Co-ordinate a walk to work club. Acknowledge workers who either walk to work or walk to public transit.

• Have a volunteer group leader guide weekly lunchtime power walks.

• Coordinate a million-step challenge. Form groups, challenge each group to walk a combined total of a million steps and reward the winner. Departments or sites could compete with each other and with management.

• Challenge workers to walk 10,000 steps a day. Buy pedometers for all participating workers or, if you cannot afford that, make pedometers available at a decreased rate.

Provide tips for increasing daily steps, and reward staff members who succeed.

There’s no single right way to approach wellness programs but winning programs share common success factors. These include commitment from management, worker involvement, adequate resources, and a health policy that goes hand in hand with the corporation’s mission, vision and values.

Wellness Program -  A Range of Approaches

Although the goal is to eventually have a long-term, comprehensive wellness program, some businesses prefer to begin with a single program at a basic level.

For  instance, the first steps may be as simple as offering lunch-hour sessions on first aid or healthful eating; or they may launch a pilot project to find out how interested employees are to ensure employees needs are being met before taking on anything more ambitious.

This approach provides a chance to show the impact on staff members and the workplace so management will be more willing to consider a larger and more far-reaching strategy.

Other corporations plan a selection of programs to meet the needs of the different kinds of individuals  that make up their workforce. and some decide to develop a sound business case, complete with a health strategy, before attempting any kind of program.

Businesses want to ensure that a new program is fully integrated with their overall company vision and mission.

Wellness Program -  Success Factors

Whether your corporation chooses to think large from the outset or to begin with something smaller, always rememberthe following key success factors -

• support and participation from management;

• employee involvement in planning;

• programs that meet staff member needs;

• a realistic budget; and

• continuous review.

In sports, a game plan is a series of steps that a team must follow to accomplish its goal of winning. Most winning teams plan to win. Organizations also need game plans, even when they do not call them by that name.

Good planning will help to ensure that your wellness program happens the way you want it to, and that costs may be identified in advance and kept within budget. Good planning prevents small problems from becoming bigger.

Steps in Planning a Wellness Program

Obtain management support. You could need to create a business case to convince managers that the wellness program is a business strategy-that staff member health and job satisfaction affects their productivity. Staff Members need to see evidence that  upper-level management believes in and is committed to staff member health.

Establish a planning committee. Members can include representatives from staff member groups in addition to from human resources (HR), health and safety, and communications.

Collect information. to prove that your program is beneficial, establish a benchmark before the program begins. You might wish to look at employee satisfaction, absenteeism rates, stress levels, drug costs or WCB expenses.

Assess what workplace facilities are available to support staff members to make healthy choices like showers and change areas or a secure place to store a bicycle. Assess worker needs through a recent survey or questionnaire, suggestion box or focus group. Communicate the results.

Create the plan to reflect the information accumulated. Include program goals, activities and how you’re going to measure whether your goals were met.

Keep the plan flexible. You may have to change direction in response to worker feedback or changes in the corporation’s structure.

Get management approval. Support for staff time and a budget are needed.

Put activities in place. Offer a selection of activities that develop awareness, increase knowledge, develop skills, and provide social interaction.

Activities could include walking clubs, participation in national campaigns such as Corporate Wellness Week, SummerActive, WinterActive, corporate challenge, golf days, and newsletters that provide information about community resources.

Workplaces can also make it easier for employees to make healthy choices by providing flextime to allow employees to fit activity in when it is convenient or by subsidizing programs in cooperation with community or private fitness facilities. A policy on catering for meetings can ensure that healthy foods are offered.

Evaluate the plan. Share your successes with others, learn from your mistakes and modify activities.

A wellness program doesn’t have to be complicated or a enormous investment. Just do it. Get support from management, bring a few committed people  together to generate some ideas and get began.