How to Start an Employee Wellness Program

Congrats HR pro! You got the green light and have been given a budget to start an Employee Wellness program for your company. And now you probably found my website and this page because you Googled “How to start an employee wellness program.”

Before you start vetting vendors and sending out invites for Lunch & Learns, I invite you to take a step back and learn about the optimal approach for creating a SUCCESSFUL employee wellness program.

As a registered dietitian in the worksite wellness space for almost a decade, I have seen my share of thriving and struggling programs. I personally have presented webinars to NO ONE and done cooking demos only the HR person who booked the event because nobody else bothered to come. If you don’t want to feel like you’ve wasted your budget, then keep reading for how to prevent this from happening to you.

There are 10 crucial steps that should be taken during your planning process when starting an employee wellness program. Especially if you want the program to be successful and demonstrate impact. After reading about each step, make sure to download the Getting Started Toolkit for more information and key questions to address for each step. Then Contact Me to work through building your program together.

STEP 1: GET BUY-IN FROM UPPER MANAGEMENT

Ideally, if your CEO is on board with creating and offering a wellness program, this is the first major hurdle you’ll overcome. Without upper management involved in the upstart of a wellness program, you will be doing a lot of swimming upstream. Your arms will be very tired, and you will have very little to show for impact of your program. Depending on your company structure, you will want to get the C-Suite, President, or any other high-levels involved early on. While they won’t be able to provide you with specifics of what types of wellness options to offer, they will provide you guidance for getting started. Get more info on this step in the Getting Started Toolkit.

STEP 2: SET UP A WELLNESS COMMITTEE

The most successful employee wellness programs I have personally witnessed all incorporate a wellness committee. This is typically a grassroots committee that is assembled within an organization of people who have a vested interest in their personal well-being and the well-being of others. Having representation from Upper Management on your wellness committee goes a long way in building momentum for an employee wellness program. You will also want to identify one or a few “Wellness Champions” who will be your key spokespeople for the employee wellness program. They will help promote events and obtain feedback from personnel on what is working/not working. Considerations for forming your wellness committee can be found in the Getting Started Toolkit.

STEP 3: ESTABLISH GOALS & METRICS

The biggest reason most wellness programs don’t get renewed or have budgets cut is because they don’t showcase value. Attendance at events does not equal impact. You need to go back to your initial discussions with Upper Management and revisit the overall company goals and how a wellness program can support those goals. From there, establish MEASURABLE goals for the wellness program and how they tie into the greater company goals. Download the Getting Started Toolkit for what to consider when setting goals and metrics.

STEP 4: GET EMPLOYEE INPUT

The best way to get people to participate in a wellness program is to involve them early and often. This is especially important in the upfront planning stages. Often wellness programs get planned in a vacuum or decisions are being made by one or a few people that they hope will appeal to the masses. Instead, a more effective approach is to survey your employees during the planning stages to find out what their biggest challenges, questions, and motivations are when it comes to wellness. The more you build programs around your employees’ interests, the higher the participation will be – ultimately leading to better results all around for individuals and the company. Consider sending out an employee-wide survey to get input on these areas and more suggested in the Getting Started Toolkit.

Need help drafting your Employee Survey? Contact me to discuss assessment tools and templates available.

STEP 5: RESEARCH & VET VENDORS

The good news is that you DON’T have to build a wellness program on your own and completely from scratch. Many companies and consultants (like yours truly here) have worked in this space for many years – well before employee wellness was considered an essential offering of a company. We know what works, doesn’t work, and have solutions readily available or able to be customized for your company’s purposes and use. And many of us have connections with other vendors and professionals, which also helps to cut down on your legwork. Have your Wellness Committee be involved in this process as well – you never know who they might know or what connections they have. And don’t forget to check with your insurance provider to see what assistance they may be able to provide in covering wellness events, services, and providers – you may be leaving money on the table and not even realizing it! You can start by contacting me to learn about employee wellness solutions I can assist with. In addition, as you vet other vendors, some questions to consider asking can be found in the Getting Started Toolkit.

STEP 6: MAP OUT A 1-YEAR WELLNESS PLAN

Now that you’ve gotten buy-in from Upper Management, formed a Wellness Committee, have goals established, know what your employees are looking for, and have researched your vendor options and offerings, NOW you can start mapping out what a full year of wellness can look like for your employees. Use the consideration questions and 1-Year Wellness Plan template available in the Getting Started Toolkit to draft your year of wellness.

STEP 7: ESTABLISH INCENTIVES

This has already been alluded to in several of the above steps, but the top way you are going to get people to participate in employee wellness programs is to incentivize them. Incentives don’t have to be costly or extravagant, but they should be considered valuable to your employees. Most people aren’t going to be motivated by water bottles and t-shirts, but they may be by monetary incentives or getting an additional day off. Refer back to your employee survey for how people responded to questions about incentives. As you work on drafting your 1-Year Wellness Plan, consider how incentives will be used to drive participation. The Getting Started Toolkit provides considerations for incentives.

STEP 8: MARKETING & PROMOTION PLAN

You’ve laid the groundwork for a stellar employee wellness program. Now it’s time to start getting the word out! It’s OK if not everything is finalized, but as the early stages of your 1-Year Wellness Plan come together, start dropping hints and spreading the word about what is to come. Remember that you can never overpromote your wellness program offerings and events. Never assume someone is going to see something once and remember. The more avenues and opportunities you use to share upcoming events, the more the word will get out. And don’t forget to share those INCENTIVES to drive excitement! Considerations for your marketing efforts are available in the Getting Started Toolkit.

STEP 9: LAUNCH

A lot of plotting and planning has gone into building your company’s employee wellness program, and now it’s time to officially get it off the ground! You’ve put a lot of work and effort into building this program, so make sure to create a lot of buzz around it. You want this program to start with a BANG! Check out what to consider for your launch in the Getting Started Toolkit.

STEP 10: ON-GOING ASSESSMENT & LONG-TERM PLAN

Your wellness program may have launched, but it’s not on autopilot. You and your Wellness Committee need to continue assessing program progress, especially during the first year. Some things will be smashing successes, and others may be lead balloons. It’s OK – it happens to EVERY company starting a wellness program. Year One is always about trial and error. Most importantly, it’s about showcasing the overall VALUE your program is bringing and how it’s supporting the company’s larger goals. Towards the end of Year One, start to build out a 3-Year Plan for what the next few years of wellness can look like. Things to consider for your on-going assessment can be found in the Getting Started Toolkit.

These 10 critical steps for starting an employee wellness program can help you to implement a successful program that will showcase results. Even better – you will play a pivotal role in promoting a positive company culture along with helping your employees feel valued while supporting various aspects of their health. The Employee Wellness Getting Started Toolkit contains a helpful checklist, planning template, and considerations for each step.

DOWNLOAD THE EMPLOYEE WELLNESS GETTING STARTED TOOLKIT

Remember – you don’t have to do this alone! CONTACT ME to learn how we can partner together to build a wellness program that gets results.

NEXT: 10 REASONS TO PARTNER WITH A REGISTERED DIETITIAN FOR YOUR EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAM