Canadian Safety Reporter

CSR_July_2013V23:Canadian Employer.qxd 13-06-17 11:14 AM Page 3 CANADIAN SAFETY REPORTER Sustainable workplace wellness programs Creating educational spaces, norms, traditions leads to program success WITH EMPLOYEES SPENDING more and more of their waking hours at work, employers have a significant opportunity to positively impact employee health and well-being. For wellness programs to be impactful and stand the test of time, they need to be more than "one offs" like hosting a lunch-and-learn during national nutrition month in March, an annual health fair or fall flu shot clinics. Building a healthy workplace culture is more than a menu of programs and services. It is about creating spaces, norms and traditions in an organization that is focused on health and well-being. With the right support systems in place and buy-in from employees, a workplace culture of wellness will evolve over time. Executive support Executive support from the outset is critical to the success of any program. It demonstrates to employees that health is an important part of the company's culture. When employees see a supportive leadership team, they will want to get involved. Executive support also ensures both financial and human resources are allocated appropriately and that the program will sustain the passage of time. Identifying a program champion is also an essential component to a program's long-term success. A champion should be a personal advocate of health, have the influence to rally the senior leaders in the organization and have the authority to drive the program forward. Their role is to engage senior management, employees, vendors and partners to foster an integrated approach to wellness. Partners may include your benefit provider, EAP provider, cafeteria vendor, occupational health team, insurers and wellness consultants. In challenging economic times, a VERONICA MARSDEN ■ CONSULTANT'S VIEW wellness program could be the first initiative to be cut. With a strong program champion and an integrated approach to health and well-being, "Identifying a program champion is also an essential component to a program's long-term success." this is not as likely to happen. Time and time again, the most robust and successful wellness programs have buy-in from all levels of management. Managers are the gatekeepers who can support or sabotage the program so it is important to get them on board at the outset. Before a program is launched, facilitate manager's information sessions to share the vision for the program and how it will positively impact the organization. Ask managers for input and feedback. Allow them to voice their concerns. looking for opportunities to promote the program and enthusiastically participating in the various programs and events •ensuring the program is aligned with the organization's business objectives. There are many other ways to get employees involved, such as leading pre-work warm-ups, being a wellness ambassador in their department or helping out at special events. Health experts A professional consultant dedicated to wellness plays a multifaceted role in delivering and supporting wellness programs. Having a professional on site even part-time, will become the "face of wellness" in your organization and increase the likelihood a program will reach out to all employees — not just the already committed. An on-site health professional will support employees as they work towards achieving their health and wellness goals. Often times, a third-party wellness consultant is brought in. This has the added benefit of ensuring confidentiality particularly if wellness coaching is provided as a service. Branding Creating a wellness brand for your program sends the message the organization is serious about fostering a healthy workplace culture. It also sends a message of fun, inclusion and integration. Engage employees from outset Connecting the dots Start with an employee advisory team. This group plays a multifaceted and integral role in the success of the program. Their role includes the following: •developing the strategy for wellness •looking for opportunities to maximize company resources •being ambassadors for the program, Connect health cost pressures, employee engagement scores and wellness interventions. For example, if drug utilization for high blood pressure is common amongst employees, target the wellness program to control high blood pres- Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2013 continued on page 8 3

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