Indicators of a Successful Corporate Wellness Program

by Spectrum Wellness

Most people can now get behind the idea that health, happiness and productivity at work are all linked and companies that foster all three in their corporate wellness program have more opportunities to lead a successful program. While some companies partake in varying levels we know that a comprehensive program has better outcomes for both the employees and the employer, but what are the key signs that your wellness program is a working success?

Let’s take a look at some of the key indicators to look out for;

1 Employee Commitment

Within a successful corporate wellness program there is more likely than not either an employee committee or individual employee wellness champions. These committees include individuals from around the company from HR, Health and Safety, Internal Communications and Sales. The employee champions are employees who are positioned with access to senior management, respected by all staff, keen interest in health and wellbeing and strong communicators. These wellness champions are tasked with;

• Spreading the health message
• Engaging remote workers
• Building a wellness network
• Motivating co-workers

Programs with strong networks of champions create a sense of community among staff and foster a culture of health and wellness on site.

2 Health Conscious Work Environment

A supportive workplace environment is yet another key success indicator of a successful wellness program. Irish employees spend a large proportion of their waking hours at work every week. So although health and fitness is thought to be a personal decision, those programs that promote more health conscious decisions create a balanced and more productive environment for their employees. There are many things that these employers do to help create this productive environment for example;

• Healthy lunch programs
• Gym memberships as part of company packages
• Regular fitness breaks throughout the day

3 Health Screenings and Education

Looking after the long term health of your employees is not just good practice it makes excellent business sense. Successful programs encourage employees to take advantage of the health education programs and screenings to enable them to enjoy a more productive and healthier future. It’s worth remembering that more than not employees are busy people and don’t have time to go to the doctor for preventative tests they need. So corporate wellness programs that run successful health screenings enjoy these and many other benefits;

• Understanding exposure to future health risks
• Improved morale and loyalty among employees, as health screenings shows that you care about your staff and are committed to keeping them healthy
• Saves time as your employees don’t need to leave the workplace
• Demonstrates the types of interventions/programs that will have the biggest impact

4 Buy in from Leadership

Wellness programs where the company leaders are champions of the program and cultivate a supportive work environment with management and employees drive significantly better and more successful programs. These leaders consistently communicate the goals, objectives and targets of the program, dedicate resources to the program and serve as a model and champion encouraging other senior employees to ‘walk the talk’.
Key benefits include;

• Excellent role models
• Beat the boss – employees are given the opportunity to get to know senior staff better
• Supportive work environment
• Higher engagement rates with employees

5 Practical and Accessible Programs

Successful corporate wellness programs are comprehensive and offer a variety of practical and easily accessible programs to employee which is key to every program. So whether that be on-site yoga classes, cooking classes or stress management seminars they should be classes that your employees should enjoy and value.
Another area that successful programs address is participation time as its one the biggest reasons that employers give for staff not taking part in workplace wellness programmes. It is therefore necessary for companies to work hard to integrate programmes into staff’s daily work and life schedules. Even if staff participate in programmes, if they feel strapped for time, they will be anxious and the programme will not feel fun!