A Successful Wellness Program
So far in our “You Ask, We Answer” summer series, we have covered a wide range of wellness program topics including, the benefits of wellness programs, biometric screenings, participation, incentives, coaching, and tracking your wellness program’s success. Today, though, we want to answer a very important question that we often get: “What makes a wellness program successful?” While many of the topics we have already covered do play a role in the success of your wellness program, what truly has the power to make your wellness program successful is YOU. As the employer, you have the most critical role and your actions determine the results. Listed below are our best tips for ensuring your efforts are successful.
Tips for Employers
1.) Support from Leadership
When we say support from leadership, we don’t just mean from you. Everyone that has a leadership role needs to be fully onboard and committed to the success of the wellness program. Employees need to see the importance of wellness, and to show that, leaders need to be actively involved and participating in the wellness program. Leaders also need to offer their support of their employees’ wellness goals and recognize wellness achievements.
2.) Create a Culture of Wellness
Piggy-backing off of tip number 1, all leadership teams need to be committed to creating a culture of wellness. In order for a wellness program to take root, the company culture must be centered around wellness and fully support a healthy lifestyle. Some ideas to help achieve this are incorporating things like healthy vending machines, walking meetings, or weekly lunchtime yoga classes.
3.) Communication
Communication really is the key to success! Make sure all elements of your wellness program are fully communicated with everyone within the organization. Decide which materials or platforms are best for communicating with your employees, or better yet, use several! Really focus on utilizing technology for this. Everything from online calendars to health apps can be used to make sure your employees are in the loop and fully understand your health initiatives.
4.) Personalization
One surefire way to get employees engaged with your wellness program and ensure success, is to make it more personalized to each employee. This shows your commitment to their health and makes it an even more enjoyable experience for everyone involved. Individual health portal logins, access to personal health data, and one-on-one health coaching are all great ideas.
If you would like more information on this or any of the topics that are a part of this series, please call 904-285-2019 or use our contact form to set up a consult at your convenience.
