Tips on Creating a Successful Organizational Wellness Program

Designing and maintaining a successful organizational wellness program doesn’t happen overnight.
It takes strong leadership buy-in and the dedication of a wellness committee focused on what works best for employees. Like most health, both mental and physical, goals, a subpar wellness program won’t turn up major results. Consistency is key.

A few reminders on making your wellness program run well:

• Work with leadership – Keep leadership as involved as possible to make wellness an integral part of the organization’s mission and culture.
• Align programs with long-term organizational goals – Revise the mission/vision if necessary.
• Create a responsive wellness committee – Ensure the committee has the right people with access to leadership and employees who are willing to use surveys and listen to both parties to stay on track.
• Build out an annual plan – A long-term plan makes it easier to set monthly, quarterly, and annual goals for the wellness program. Don’t forget to add costs to the annual budget.
• Experiment with your communication efforts – Replicate what works to keep employee engagement high. Try a mix of social media, email blasts, in-person reminders, etc.
• Survey, research, results, repeat – Collect and evaluate data on your program’s progress/results. Use this vital information to tweak the program for success and to show leadership success for continued support.

Above all, remember that successful wellness campaigns are not “set it and forget it” initiatives. The most fruitful wellness programs are ones that evolve and grow with the organization and participants’ needs.