Employee Wellness Program: Obtaining Leadership Support

Strong and visible leadership support for the Company Health Promotion Initiative encourages health and is essential to securing necessary Company Health Promotion Initiative resources (staff, time, and money) and implementing recommended changes.

1. Establish a Company Health Promotion Initiative champion

In a small organization, there may be a single leader who is the clear choice to champion the Employee Wellness Program. In a larger organization, look for an executive with the authority to influence others in the uppermost levels of the organization regarding the Employee Wellness Program. The Company Health Promotion Initiative champion need not be the fittest member of leadership. Rather, look for a Company Health Promotion Initiative leader with the disposition to be a visible and vocal supporter of workplace policies that encourage healthy behaviors. Organizations with multiple sites can consider whether it would be useful to have an executive Company Health Promotion Initiative champion at each site.

2. Find existing Company Health Promotion Initiative allies

There may already be a number of individuals within your organization who recognize the value of a Employee Wellness Program. Think about who those individuals are in your organization; consider areas such as occupational safety, union representatives, risk management, medical officers, and human resources when looking for a Company Health Promotion Initiative ally. Obtain their stated support for the Employee Wellness Program. Company Health Promotion Initiative support could include contributions of staff time or expertise, financial resources, agreement to endorse/support policy and environmental changes, or agreement to participate in, and voice their support for, changes in the workplace that will help to build a culture of wellness.

3. Build a business case for the Company Health Promotion Initiative

There is a reason that more and more employers are finding a way to promote employee health via a Company Health Promotion Initiative and policies: A Company Health Promotion Initiative makes good business sense. workers with healthy behaviors, on average, are more productive when at work (higher presenteeism)1 and incur lower health care costs than employees with less healthy behaviors.2,3  As a result it would be foolish not to have a Employee Wellness Program.

4. When developing a Company Health Promotion Initiative use what you know about leadership styles and the decision-making process within your organization

Every organization is different. Build leadership support for the Company Health Promotion Initiative in the way that makes the most sense for your organization. Think about the following as you plan how to approach leadership for Company Health Promotion Initiative support:

• What are the current priorities and pressures facing executives? How could a Company Health Promotion Initiative and a healthier workforce support those priorities?
• How do the leaders prefer to receive data: written documents? verbal presentations?
• What types of Company Health Promotion Initiative information are likely to influence decisions? Do they want data and Company Health Promotion Initiative statistics specific to your organization, or are state or national data sufficient? Are the leaders more influenced by internal factors or by what competitors are doing?
• Who would the leaders see as a reliable messenger for this Company Health Promotion Initiative information? Does someone from the risk management area carry more clout than someone from the human resources area?
• How do decisions get made in your organization? Informal committee meetings? Formal or informal meetings between executives? Plan accordingly and you improve the odds that the Company Health Promotion Initiative will become a reality.

5. Maintain Company Health Promotion Initiative support once you have it

Once you have appropriate Company Health Promotion Initiative support, ensure that you maintain it by regularly updating the leaders on employee health and progress toward creating a culture that encourages health. Ask upper management how frequently they want to receive Company Health Promotion Initiative progress reports.

Source Information:
1 Bunn, JOEM, 2006, 48:10.
2 Foldes, Bland, An et al. Modifiable Health Risks and Short-Term Health Care Costs. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota internal research, submitted for publication.
3 Anderson, 2000, American Journal of Health Promotion, 15:1.