Category — Company Health And Wellness

Effective wellness programs recognize the importance of building a supportive cultural environment. the workplace culture includes shared values/heartfelt beliefs about what’s important. It includes social standards of expected and accepted behavior called “cultural norms.”

It includes colleague support from family, friends, and colleagues. This support can help one adopt healthy lifestyles. Tools are available to audit a company.

The long-term success of any wellness program is dependent on the corporate culture.

Some healthful culture signs in a business are –

• Staff Members communicate openly

• Leaders support diversity and opinion

• Staff Members have fun

• Policies support wellness

• Workers are encouraged to grow

• Staff Members work together as a team

• Employees’ skills and talents are matched to their jobs.

• Flexible work schedules are available

• Corporations consider staff members as their most asset

Effective wellness programs attempt to develop healthful workplace climates. A healthful workplace climate is one which encourages teamwork, cooperation, and empowerment of the individual.

People  have a sense of community, a shared vision, and a positive outlook. Policies promote and support wellness efforts within the workplace.

• Effective programs identify ways that company policies and organizational traditions encourage wellness.

• Effective programs work at the group and organizational level to build support for healthy lifestyle choices.

• Effective programs set clear target objectives and objectives for the health improvement of the worksite.

An initial medical screening can include a recent survey of employees’ interests as part of the assessment. Successful wellness programs are designed to meet the needs and interests of the workers.

The information you need to get from a recent survey depends on the scope of your program. A sample survey can be acquired in the HOPE Publications Web site.

If you plan to adapt this sample survey or develop your own survey, keep the following hints in mind –

• Ask mainly closed-choice questions, namely when you’ll be sending the survey to a big number of employees. Closed-choice questions provide specific options and are easy to tabulate. You may want to use a computer for data entry and analysis.

• Invite comments, suggestions and recommendations, or ask open-ended questions after the survey. Open-ended items are more difficult to summarize.

• Include a brief explanatory cover letter with the survey with the signature of the corporation president. Be certain to include a statement about confidentiality and anonymity.

• Ask a group of representative employees to review the survey before it’s distributed. Find out when the questions will be understood by employees and will not be objected to.

• Include demographic information at the beginning or end of the survey. Consider various ways that you may analyze the responses by demographic characteristics (gender, age, shift, site, department, etc.).

When considering who should get the survey, a simple rule is if you have under 500 workers, everybody should receive one. the public relations benefit of everybody receiving a recent survey could be significant.

Over 500 employees, a sample of the work population will suffice. A sample saves on costs and time. You may want to consider consulting with a statistician to determine an appropriate sample size for your worksite.

Needs surveys are confidential and anonymous; they don’t request information that may identify a person.

Getting support from management is critical to the success of the program.

One way to do this is to survey managers (see forms) and conduct interviews with decision-makers in the organization. You can use the surveys here or make up your own.

If you decide to do your own, keep the survey short. It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes to complete.

The interview process can also serve as a means of educating management. Give concise fact sheets on the benefits of wellness programs for management.

When surveys and interviews are completed, tally the surveys and write brief summaries of the interviews. Provide these reports to management.

Once completed present a brief executive summary to management. Highlight a few intriguing findings that may be used immediately to make decisions about the program.

Utilize charts and graphs to make your points. Prepare a detailed report for wellness committee members itemizing each response. Provide a short article about the survey in the business newsletter.

The higher the response the more exact and reliable the results. A minimum response of 40 percent to 50 percent is acceptable.

Comprehensive wellness programs involve all workers, deal with all major health risks, offers choices, and target both the workers and the worksite environment; provide periodic analysis of its results.     

Robust wellness programs emphasize follow-up and offers support for the employee since he/she is employed. Studies have shown this approach to be highly successful. Key components are planning, implementation, and examination.   

Planning comprehensive wellness programs involve performing a needs and interest assessment, appointing a wellness committee, picking  wellness providers, setting goals/objectives for the wellness program, marketing and advertising/promoting the program, and establishing procedures to ensure confidentiality.   

Implementation of robust wellness programs consist of five major tasks –    

1   Biometric screening and referral

2   Follow-up and counseling staff members

3   Follow-up with physicians

4   Health improvement programs

5   Organizing worksite-wide activities.

Evaluation involves monitoring wellness programs to find out when it’s working and to help you refine it. Measuring success shows what you’ve achieved, helps justify costs, and provides information for management to support continued programming.   

Comprehensive wellness programs involve all workers, deal with all major health risks, offers choices, and target both the workers and the worksite environment; provide periodic evaluation of its results.     

Robust wellness programs emphasize follow-up and offers support for the staff member if he/she is employed. Studies have shown this approach to be highly successful. Key components are planning, implementation, and evaluation

Planning extensive wellness programs involve performing a needs and interest assessment, appointing a wellness committee, selecting  wellness providers, establishing goals/objectives for the wellness program, advertising and marketing/promoting the program, and establishing procedures to ensure confidentiality

Implementation of comprehensive wellness programs consist of five major tasks –

• Medical testing and health risk (assessment|appraisal}

• Follow-up and counseling employees

• Follow-up with doctors

• Health betterment and disease prevention programs

• Organizing worksite-wide wellness program activities.

Examination involves monitoring wellness programs to find out when it is working and to help you refine it.

Measuring success shows what you’ve achieved, helps justify costs, and provides information for management to support continued programming.

Initially introduced by Halbert Dunn in the 1950’s, wellness became a popular buzzword during the late 1970’s and received considerable academic attention in the 1980’s.     

Wellness programs for employees became more widespread during the following decade, and credible evidence for their economic viability began to be published.     

There have now been over 100 published studies on this topic and a number of systematic reviews.

Health risks increase costs.  Medical and health insurance costs escalate with both age and number of risks present.8,10   the number of risks is also strongly related to sick time absenteeism, Employee’s Compensation costs, short-term disability, and lowered productivity (”presenteeism”).

Early staff member wellness programs were relatively basic and typically produced a return on investment (ROI) of less than one dollar for every dollar spent operating the program (ROI = <1 - 1).8

Such programs may  be characterized as “fun-oriented”.  Participation is entirely voluntary, and there is no particular focus on the reduction of especially identified high risks.  

Interventions and activities aren’t customized, and there’s no emphasis on the management of medical costs.  These programs are usually site-based only, lack options to address all of the major behaviorally-related health risks, and lack multimodal presentation.  

Minimal or no incentives are provided to staff members for participation, and services to spouses and family members aren’t available.  Most such programs lack meaningful examination.  

More conventional programs are “activity-oriented” and have shown an ROI of between 1 – 2.5 and 1 – 3.5.8 These programs may have a greater emphasis on health and risk reduction, although the efforts are relatively wide and not personalized.  

They may have some generalized emphasis on health cost management, although not necessarily aimed at specific high risks.  Most are site-based and voluntary, with spouses included only rarely.  

Modest incentives may  be utilized to encourage participation.  Formal investigation may  be weak.

The newest and most economically viable programs are “results-oriented” and exemplify the health and productivity management model.  These programs consistently produce return rates of 1 – 4 or greater within a 12-24 month period.8  

Such programs are strongly focused on the reduction of particularly identified high risks and the management of healthcare costs.  They are generally voluntary, but use strong financial and other incentives to promote participation.  

They are multi-component in nature (address all major risks), and have both on-site and virtual modalities of operation.  The interventions are highly targeted and individualized, and offered to spouses in addition to staff members.

For corporations, the cost of providing health insurance for their employees is of excellent importance.  Those costs have been increasing at annual rates between 6% and 14%.

Chapman’s 2007 systematic review7 announced an average reduction in healthcare costs of 26.5 percent thus of worker wellness programs.  His review covered 60 of the most scientifically valid studies, with an average of 3.77 years of study.

Absenteeism due to illness is another cost driver.  Chapman’s review7 reports an typical reduction in sick time of 25.3%.   Cost for Employee’s Compensation was reduced by 40.7%, and disability costs by 24.2%.

There is also an emerging literature on the costs of presenteeism (reduced productivity).11,13  In one study, every risk reduced through a wellness program yielded a 9% reduction in presenteeism (and a 2% reduction in absenteeism).11

Some corporations have achieved a zero percent increase in healthcare costs across at least brief periods of time.10  Doing so requires 90-95 percent participation of the employee population in focused wellness programs, with 75%-85 percent of the workers falling into the low risk category.10     

Although comprehensive efforts to lower the risk status of those in moderate or high risk categories must be made, the needs of currently healthful employees must be addressed as well to avoid increases in risk-status.   

Given the size of the federal workforce, meaningful cost savings in the government’s contribution to medical insurance premiums for employees can be achieved if a majority of that population were participating in active wellness programs.     

In like fashion, improvements in absenteeism, employee’s compensation, disability, presenteeism, and turnover then of extensive staff member wellness programs would yield substantial fiscal benefits for the government.   

References   

1   Aldana, Steven G.  (2001)   Financial Impact of Wellness Programs –   A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.   Am J Wellness 15(5) – 296-320.

2   Chapman, Larry.  (1998)   the Role of Incentives in Wellness.  The Art of Wellness  2(3) – 1-8.

3   Chapman, Larry.   (2003)   Biometric Screening in Wellness –   is it Really as Important as We Think?  the Art of Wellness  7(2) – 1-12.

4   Chapman, Larry.  (2005)   Meta-Examination of Corporate Wellness Economic Return Studies –  2005 Update.  The Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-15.

5   Chapman, Larry.   (2006)   Worker Participation in Corporate Wellness and Wellness Programs –   How Important are Incentives, and Which Ones work Best?   North Carolina Medical Journal   67(6) –   431-432.

6   Chapman, Larry, Lesch, Nancy, and Passas Baun, Mary Beth.   (2007)   the Role of Wellness Coaching in Corporate Wellness.   the Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-12.

7   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   Proof Positive –   an Analysis of the cost-Effectiveness of Corporate Wellness.  Northwest Health Management Publishing, Seattle, WA.

8   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   an In-Depth Look at the Economic Evidence for Rewarding Health Behavior Change.   Workshop presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthful Behaviors for Health Plans and Companys” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.

9   Edington, Dee.   (2001)   Emerging Research –   A View from One Research Center.  American Journal of Wellness 15(5) –  341-349.

10   Edington, Dee W.  (2007)   Health Management as a Serious Corporation Strategy.  Presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Businesss” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.

11   Pelletier, Barbara, Boles, Myde, and Lunch, Wendy.  (2004)  Changes in Health Risks and Make certain to work Productivity.   Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(7) –  746-754.

12   Pelletier, Kenneth R.  (2005)   A Review and Analysis of the Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of comprehensive Health and Disease Management (DM)Programs at the Worksite –  Update VI 2000-2004.  JOEM 47(10)1051-1058.

13   DeVol, Ross, Bedroussian, Armen, et. al.  (2007)  an Unhealthful America –   the Economic Burden of Chronic Condition.  Report released by the Milken Institute.   www.milkeninstitute.org.

14   Partnership for Prevention.  (2008) Investing in Health –   Proven Wellness Practices for Workplaces.   http – //www.prevent.org/images/stories/2008/investinginhealth_finalfinal.pdf.

Corporate America is increasingly investing in staff member wellness because it’s good corporation.  In order to meet productivity demands, businesses must rely on a healthful, productive workforce to succeed in the highly competitive global marketplace.  

Over a hundred studies in both corporate and governmental settings have documented the economic benefits of staff member wellness programs, including decreased absenteeism, decreased injuries and workman’s compensation costs, decreased health care costs, decreased staff member turnover, in addition to increased productivity, greater staff member satisfaction, and improved morale.1-10  

The more recent literature reflects improvements in wellness programming along with greater return on investment.  In general, the more focused and intensive the program, the greater benefit realized.  

To enhance their effectiveness federal government employee wellness programs might  be able to incorporate some features described.  Worker wellness programs shown to have positive returns on investment often include the following features –    

1   Health and productivity management model

Programs characterized by this model focus attention on identification and reduction of specific risks or behaviors like use of tobacco, lack of exercise, excess weight, unhealthy diet, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stress, depression, and so on.     

High-risk employees are especially targeted for intervention, although the most successful programs also direct efforts towards healthful employees to maintain their low-risk status.  This model emphasizes outcomes as opposed to simply offering wellness activities for their own sake.     

2   Health risk (assessment|appraisal}

Use of a computerized health risk (assessment|appraisal}  instrument with individualized feedback and recommendations is almost universal in successful programs.  Employees take the questionnaire each year in many cases.     

The HRA serves to elevate awareness, provide direction, and motivate person to improve specific behaviors.  In some cases, the customized report is directly linked to appropriate resources related to identified risks.     

Research indicates that the use of an HRA is effective if it is followed by some type of educational or therapeutic intervention for identified risks.  It often serves as the entry point into wellness programs.   

3   Biometric analysis

A lot of wellness programs combine the results of the health risk (assessment|appraisal} with measurement of each employee’s biometrics, including weight and BMI , blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting glucose, and assorted other metrics.     

Combining the results of the HRA with biological measures leads to a more valid risk profile.   Computerized health risk (assessment|appraisal}s often incorporate biometric data in their risk analysis.   

4   Wellness Program Incentives

Workers are frequently given monetary or other significant rewards for completing an HRA, participation in a program or class, specific accomplishments such as stopping tobacco use, losing weight, or exercising, and for maintaining healthful status and/or behaviors.     

In many cases the monetary incentives are associated with reductions in health insurance premiums.  Some programs use disincentives in addition to incentives, like charging staff members who smoke higher rates for their health insurance contribution.   

5   High wellness program participation rates

Successful programs use incentives to drive participation rates up.  They also market their programs extensively, and may use contest or challenge strategies to heighten enthusiasm and encourage participation.   

6   Wellness coaching

Workers with identified risks or desire to improve their health habits could  be periodically coached via telephone by trained health coaches.     

Coaching helps employees set and achieve realistic lifestyle-related goals including those addressing stress, work life balance, use of tobacco, weight, physical activity, and various behavior modifications.     

Three or more sessions are typically offered.  In some intensive programs, the coaching extends to actual disease management intervention for workers with identified high-risk illnesses.    

7   Multiple formats

Programs may offer wellness content in online, paper, and seminar formats to provide stimulating variety and alternatives for accommodate the needs of all workers.     

In addition to onsite physical activity and healthful eating events, on-line programs, e-mail reminders and notices, printed newsletters and materials, and workplace courses and workshops are common dissemination strategies.   

8   Executive management support

Enthusiastic and frequent endorsement by  senior management is vital to achieving high rates of participation.  When senior executives are wellness role models themselves the effects of endorsement are enhanced.   

9   Frequent contact

Successful programs have frequent contact of some sort with every staff member.  This might  be through marketing efforts (e.g., posters, e-mail notices, reminders, or messages, etc.), bulletin boards, newsletters, staff meeting presentations, discussion in new staff member orientation, supervisory sessions, etc.      

The key is to enhance worker awareness of wellness opportunities and reinforce the corporate emphasis on wellness through frequent and multiple “touches”.   

10   Open enrollment

To encourage high participation rates workers must’ve easy access to the wellness programs and activities.  Open and uncomplicated enrollment processes achieve this.     

Some companies automatically enroll all workers and then allow those who don’t wish to participate to “opt-out”.  This practice has been proven to improve enrollment rates in some establishings.   

11   Family involvement

Many programs encourage spouses and other family members to participate in the corporation wellness activities and to adopt a healthful lifestyle along with the designated worker.  It is far easier for the worker to have a healthful lifestyle when his/her family does so as well.   

12   Tobacco use cessation

Because smoking and other smoking is the number one threat to health it is critical to offer workers effective and convenient assistance with quitting.     

Access to tobacco cessation pharmaceuticals is often part of such programs.  In-house programs provide the most convenient access to these services, although on-line or telephone-based programs could  be available as well.     

13   Exercise

Regular exercise is a core component of every wellness program.  Staff Members should be strongly encouraged to engage in regular exercise.     

Most programs provide either periodic or continuous onsite opportunities, and some locations have onsite fitness clubs, swimming pools, walking trails, etc.  Discounted or paid memberships to community exercise facilities is a common alternative to onsite facilities.   

14   Weight management

Because obesity is a major threat to health it’s imperative that programs offer effective assistance with weight control.  Robust encouragement from  senior management to shed excess weight is important.     

Online programs, worksite programs, or discounted access to weight control programs in the community may all be available.  Long-term follow-up is vital for maintenance of weight loss.   

15   Stress management

Workplace stress is perhaps the most common complaint among staff members and a major contributor to absenteeism, presenteeism (reduced productivity), and low morale.     
   
Nearly all successful wellness programs offer assistance with personal and workplace stress.  Some programs refer staff members to outside resources for additional serious conditions like depression and anxiety disorders, but most offer web-based or frequent onsite general stress reduction programs.     
   
Some corporations endeavor to structure the work environment to minimize stress, both physically and operationally.   

16   Biometric screenings/immunizations

Workers are actively encouraged to complete recommended medical testings for blood pressure, cholesterol, Body Mass Index (BMI), colorectal and breast cancer, and others.     

Annual influenza immunizations are also encouraged.  Some sites provide these services at the worksite.  Incentives are often awarded for completion of these screenings/immunizations.    

17   Onsite health care

Actual provision of onsite primary care medical services is a growing trend.  The rapidly escalating costs of medical care insurance for workers has stimulated this trend.     

Some businesses have found that it is less expensive to provide main care services themselves than to fund those services through health insurance.     

Onsite care also lowers the amount of time staff members would otherwise spend away from the worksite getting such services.    

References   

1   Aldana, Steven G.  (2001)   Financial Impact of Wellness Programs –   A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.   Am J Wellness 15(5) – 296-320.

2   Chapman, Larry.  (1998)   the Role of Incentives in Wellness.  The Art of Wellness  2(3) – 1-8.

3   Chapman, Larry.   (2003)   Biometric Screening in Wellness –   is it Really as Important as We Think?  the Art of Wellness  7(2) – 1-12.

4   Chapman, Larry.  (2005)   Meta-Examination of Corporate Wellness Economic Return Studies –  2005 Update.  The Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-15.

5   Chapman, Larry.   (2006)   Worker Participation in Corporate Wellness and Wellness Programs –   How Important are Incentives, and Which Ones work Best?   North Carolina Medical Journal   67(6) –   431-432.

6   Chapman, Larry, Lesch, Nancy, and Passas Baun, Mary Beth.   (2007)   the Role of Wellness Coaching in Corporate Wellness.   the Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-12.

7   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   Proof Positive –   an Analysis of the cost-Effectiveness of Corporate Wellness.  Northwest Health Management Publishing, Seattle, WA.

8   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   an In-Depth Look at the Economic Evidence for Rewarding Health Behavior Change.   Workshop presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Companys” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.

9   Edington, Dee.   (2001)   Emerging Research –   A View from One Research Center.  American Journal of Wellness 15(5) –  341-349.

10   Edington, Dee W.  (2007)   Health Management as a Serious Corporation Strategy.  Presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Businesss” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.

11   Pelletier, Barbara, Boles, Myde, and Lunch, Wendy.  (2004)  Changes in Health Risks and Be sure to work Productivity.   Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(7) –  746-754.

12   Pelletier, Kenneth R.  (2005)   A Review and Analysis of the Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of robust Health and Disease Management (DM)Programs at the Worksite –  Update VI 2000-2004.  JOEM 47(10)1051-1058.

13   DeVol, Ross, Bedroussian, Armen, et. al.  (2007)  an Unhealthy America –   the Economic Burden of Chronic Disease.  Report released by the Milken Institute.   www.milkeninstitute.org.

14   Partnership for Prevention.  (2008) Investing in Health –   Proven Wellness Practices for Workplaces.   http – //www.prevent.org/images/stories/2008/investinginhealth_finalfinal.pdf.

Investigations determine the outcome of a Wellness Program. They help you figure out when your goals were met. It is a good idea to add an evaluation component to your Wellness Program.

Investigations may conclude that some interventions did not work well. You may find that a popular Wellness Program costs too much and did not really affect employees’ health.

While these may not be the outcomes you hoped for, without this information you may continue ineffective interventions. Having this information will help you develop better solutions.

When your results are good, it’s magnificent! You can spread the word to staff members and management that your program is achieving its objectives.

Three major areas of an investigation

• Wellness Program structure – the basic framework of the program

• Wellness Program process – How well the program is run

• Wellness Program outcomes – Whether the program met the set objectives

Common questions used to evaluate a Wellness Program

Structure Questions

• What is included in the Wellness Program? What is the intervention?

• Where does the Wellness Program take place?

• How’s the Wellness Program delivered? What content is included?

• Who manages the Wellness Program?

Process Questions

• How many people  participate?

• Do participants complete the Wellness Program?

• Are participants satisfied?

• Which aspects of the Wellness Program are best attended?

Outcome Questions

• Does the Wellness Program improve knowledge about health issues?

• Does the Wellness Program change behavior?

• Does the Wellness Program save the company money?

• What is the return on investment (ROI)?

Download a sample program (http – //www.ibx.com/pdfs/custom/wellness_partners/services/turnkey_programs/walking/participant_eval.pdf) analysis from IBC’s Walking Towards Wellness program.

• Identify through an worker survey what incentives they value.

• Identify what incentives the organization can provide in addition to what the budget will allow.

• Ensure that every participant who achieves a goal receives some recognition.

• Avoid offering incentives for the “best” or the “most.”

• Avoid using food as a reward.

• Use incentives to promote your wellness program, through logos and branding.

Incentives encourage employees to adopt positive behaviors or maintain an existing positive behavior that may potentially help the worker stay healthy and live longer. Adopting positive health behavior is fundamentally what wellness is about.

Incentives could be used to raise participation rates, help person complete a Wellness Program, or help person change or adhere to healthy behaviors.

Providing incentives and rewards will send an important message to the staff members that your organization is committed to assisting them with improving their health. It also plays a significant role in arousing person to participate.

Tips on how to pick appropriate incentives –

• Identify through an staff member survey what incentives they value.

• Identify what incentives the organization can provide as well as what the budget will allow.

• Ensure that every participant who achieves a goal receives some recognition.

• Avoid offering incentives for the “best” or the “most.”

• Avoid using food as a reward.

• Use incentives to promote your Wellness Program, through logos and branding.

When developing a comprehensive Wellness Program, make sure that it consists of a variety of awareness, lifestyle change, supportive environment programs, policies and activities that target risk behaviors, and the needs and interests of the workers.

It’ll be important to review and revise existing policies governing such areas as use of tobacco sections and the staff cafeteria.

Tips on designing a Wellness Program –

• Develop activities based on your plan objectives addressing the specific needs of your workers. Focus on those topics that are of greatest interest to your workers and the greatest needs of your corporation, in that order. Prevent topics with narrow appeal.

• Keep it simple. Design the Wellness Program so it’s easy for the participants to understand and track.

• Integrate a combination of activities to include awareness, educational, and behavior elements.

• Select activities in which every staff member can participate.

Suggestions for your Wellness Program –

• Challenges. Activities that focus on practicing a desired behavior that continues for 4-8 weeks and focuses on specific topics (such as exercise, nutrition, or stress management).

• Learning experiences. This includes seminars, videos, and classes.

• Behavior changes (such as smoking cessation). You might or may not offer interventions at the workplace. Nonetheless, you ought to encourage person to make lifestyle changes that they want to make even without an external incentive.

• Education on disease management. for example, support and education groups for diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.

• Learing new skills. for  instance, CPR and first aid.

• Preventive screenings like blood pressure, cholesterol, and vision.

Source –  Altered from the Building Healthy Texans Corporate Wellness Toolkit.

Create objectives and objectives

Goals are general guidelines that explain what you want to achieve. Goals define strategies or steps to take to attain the identified goal.

A wellness program should have a “destination”. Use the results of your surveys and your wellness committee’s mission statement as guides. Consider these ideas –  

• Focus on making medical information and learning resources readily available to employees

• Focus on group activities so staff members can work together to support and encourage healthier lifestyles

• Create a wellness program that is visible to both workers and to your customers

• Focus on written policies and guidelines

• Be certain to set objectives for your wellness program.

Review Guidelines for Writing Goals.

Wellness Program Objectives Should be

Specific – A goal is specific when it provides a description of what’ll be accomplished. It will state exactly what the organization intends to accomplish.

It ought to be written so that it can be easily and obviously communicated. A specific goal will make it easier for those writing objectives and action plans to address the following questions –  

• Who’s to be involved?

• What is to be accomplished?

• Where is it to be done?

• When is it to be done?

Measurable – A goal is measurable if it’s quantifiable. to determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as –  How much? How many? How will I know when it’s accomplished?

Attainable – You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that might have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable.

Realistic – Realistic, means “do-able.” the goal needs to be realistic for your organization and where the organization is at the moment.

A goal to take out all the high fat items in the vending machine may not be realistic for your business right now; a better goal would be to substitute some of the chips, candy bars and pies for pretzels, yogurt and dried fruit.

Timely – In conclusion, a goal must’ve a timeframe –  for next week, in three months, by age 35. It must’ve a beginning and ending point. It should also have some intermediate points at which progress may be evaluated.

Limiting the time in which a goal must be accomplished helps to focus effort toward its achievement. When you don’t set a time, the commitment is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can begin at any time. Without a time limit, there’s no urgency to begin taking action now.