Health Wellness ProgramHealth and Wellness Programs and Wellness Program Consulting

When creating a comprehensive Company Health Promotion Program, make sure that it consists of a variety of awareness, lifestyle shift, supportive environment programs, policies and activities that target risk behaviors, and the needs and interests of the employees. It will be important to review and revise existing policies governing such areas as smoking sections and the employee cafeteria.

Tips on starting a Company Wellness Program:

• Design activities based on your intended goals/objectives addressing the specific needs of your employees. Focus on those topics that are of greatest interest to your employees and the greatest needs of your business, in that order. Avoid topics with narrow appeal.
• Keep it simple. Design the Employee Health Promotion Program so it’s easy for the participants to understand and track.
• Integrate a combination of activities to include awareness, educational, and behavior elements.
• Identify activities in which every employee can take part.

Ideas for your Workplace Wellness Program:

• Challenges. Activities that focus on practicing a desired behavior that continues for 4-8 weeks and focuses on specific issues (such as physical activity, nutrition, or stress management).
• Learning experiences. This includes seminars, videos, and classes.
• Behavior changes (such as smoking cessation). You may or may not offer interventions at the worksite. Nonetheless, you should promote individuals to make lifestyle changes that they want to make even without an external incentive.
• Education on disease management. By way of example, support and education groups for diabetes, high Blood Pressure (BP), etc.
• Learing new skills. By way of example, CPR and first aid.
• Preventive screenings like Blood Pressure (BP), cholesterol, and vision.

Source: Adapted from the Building Healthy Texans Worksite Wellness Toolkit.