Wellness Programs – Form a Wellness Committee .

Establishing an active Wellness Committee provides opportunities for both executive management and employee involvement in the wellness program.  The Committee must be a team of workers and managers who formally meet to plan activities to promote healthier employee lifestyles.

Typical Functions of a Health Promotion Committee -

o  Evaluating needs and interests

o  Brainstorming wellness program ideas

o  Planning activities

o  Developing communication plans

o  Marketing health promotion programs to coworkers

o  Serving as champions of the Wellness Programs

o  Helping with investigation

Your Health Promotion Committee must be representative of all levels of the corporation.  Consider all areas of the workforce â.” multiple sites, shift staff members, diversity (race, gender, ethnicity), and departments.

It is also crucial that you consider who’ll chair or co-chair the Health Promotion Committee and whether or not there are the finances to support a wellness manager or occupational health professional, even on a part-time or contractual basis.  Click here for more information on the advantages of a health professional.

Depending on your organization size and resources, when you already have a organization Safety Committee you could want to consider making it the Safety and Health Promotion Committee.  You can request volunteers or invite personnel to participate.

The number of Health Promotion Committee members depends on the size of your company; nevertheless, you need enough members to get the work done and yet not too many to keep it manageable, typically a minimum of 4 members and maximum of 12 to 15 members.

It’s crucial that you include skeptics of wellness as well and not just those workforce already practicing healthy life choices.

Depending on your workplace, consider representatives from the following areas -

o  Worker representatives from a cross section of different departments,

o  Upper management ,

o  Health and safety specialist(s),

o  Human resources professional(s),

o  Benefits staff or someone from finance,

o  Your staff member assistance program (EAP) provider (if applicable), Click here for more information on EAPs

o  Medical or occupational health staff (if applicable).

Establish an effective Wellness Committee!  the Wellness Committee ought to meet regularly with a planned agenda and action items.  Successful Wellness Committees have a shared mission, vision and goals.

Members need to believe that their participation is worthwhile and appreciated, that their work is important, benefits the company and peers, and they’re recognized for their contributions. Refer to the NC Workplace Programs section for examples of what other businesses have implemented.