Employee Wellness Programs: Successful Planning Tips

Employee wellness programs can't be complicated but they don't have to be when you are first starting out If you are in the planning phase of starting your wellness program, here are some simple tips for employers ready to start offering programs to their employees.

These components are very important to ensure that you maximize the results of your program and see a return on your investment. If you do not take time to careful plan in each of these sections, you will be sorely disappointed in your results.

Risk Assessment

Continuous Education

Communication/Marketing

Incentives and Motivation

Disease and Risk Management

Program Evaluation

Risk assessment involves identifying health risks among your employees and your workforce in general. This is usually conducted during the initial phase of implementing a wellness program and serves as the program's road map.

Data is collected using health risk appraisals, health screenings, employee needs and want surveys, culture audits. Educational support is key for participants to make changes in their lifestyle. It is one thing to know their risks but it is quite another to provide them with the education and support for making change. This component often includes individual health risk reports, presentation, behavior change programs (smoking cessation, weight management/loss, etc), and newsletters.

Ready to get started but are looking for even more ideas for your worksite wellness programs? Check out Health Promotion Ideas That Work.

Communication is also very important especially from senior management. Employees must understand the purpose of the program, what is expected of them and how they can get involved in employee wellness programs. Newsletters, pay check stub fliers, and lunch room posters are great ways to continually communicate and market the wellness program.

Disease and risk management is very important to help control costs. Providing employees who have already developed diseases such as diabetes, cancer, or have become obese must have programs available to them them reduce and manage their risk factors.

Program evaluation is probably the most crucial for program leaders because it provides senior management with information to help you support the program's cause. This is a continual process and should include return on investment, risk reduction, program participation, and any other important data to support the program's progression.