Company Health and Wellness : Company Wellness Program: Gather Data to Determine Needs and Expectations  

Prior to you start laying out your Employee Wellness Program you need to know where you are now and then decide where you want to go.  Completing a thorough needs assessment is vital to the effectiveness of your wellness program for two reasons:  First it ensures that your Employee Wellness Program activities will be targeted to meet your company’s specific needs so that outcomes can be achieved.  Secondly the needs assessment supplies the information you will need to evaluate the effectiveness of your wellness program.

It is often tempting to hurry through the assessment – especially when time is short or those with experience already have an idea of needs.  Do not give in to this temptation!  It is vital to be aware of what your corporation needs are, what management expects, and what staff members want as well as expect, before you begin a Employee Wellness Program.  

Consider and collect data on:

• Employee Demographic Information
• Employee Health Risk Factors
• Medical Claims
• Injury Rates & Causes
• Workers’ Compensation Claims
• Short and Long Term Disability Claims
• Rates of Absenteeism
• Corporation Culture Audits
• Employee perceived needs and health risks
• Upper Management’s expectations or desired outcomes

There are many ways to assess this information.  Although some of data gathering process may be time consuming, remember that it is nonetheless important to plan programs that target specific problems.  This information will be critical to set goals and for evaluating program success.  How else can you know if outcomes have been achieved?

Options to help gather the information:

• Confidential Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs) with a Organization Group Summary Report
• Wellness Screenings such as blood lipids, Blood Pressure and blood glucose click here for additional information on health screenings.
• Employee Needs and Interest Surveys
• Suggestion boxes placed around the organization
• Focus Groups or hosting a luncheon meeting as a focus group
• Sending out a confidential email questionnaire
• Review records and databases including OSHA logs, first aid reports, insurance costs  

Once your needs assessment is complete, the Worksite Health Promotion Program Committee can review the outcome and begin creating and prioritizing program options.  Planning should be based upon goals/objectives and identified outcomes, Step 4 of the seven step process!