Lay the Foundation

Get the Support of Senior Management

• Talk to your human resource department to learn the issues that are of most concern to your organization's management (e.g., health care costs, absenteeism, turnover, disability claims)
• Provide evidence that improving the health practices and lifestyles of your employees will pay off in these areas
• Provide evidence that a wellness program stands a good chance of improving those health practices

Form a Wellness Committee

• Recruit representatives from all areas and levels of the organization
• Choose people with a variety of skills, such as organizing events, motivating people, data analysis, and writing
• Choose a leader for the committee who understands management's priorities as well as the vision of the team, and can integrate the two

Do a Needs Assessment to Guide Your Efforts

• Data to determine business needs:
  • Health Assessments
  • Health screening data, usually gathered at a health awareness day
  • Medical/healthcare claims
  • Behavioral healthcare claims
  • EAP utilization data
  • Short- and long-term disability and Workers' Compensation claims
  • Turnover/retention rates and exit interviews
  • Absenteeism rates and reasons
  • Accident/safety records, facility/environmental assessment for sources of risk and stress
• Data to determine what employees want:
  • Online survey questionnaire
  • Patterns of utilization of previous wellness offerings
  • Focus groups with employees from different departments, locations, and levels of the hierarchy