Workplace Wellness Whisperer – Weekly Tips Summary (Jan 3)
Hello Workplace Wellness Seeker,
Do you know why we must introduce a corporate wellness program?
Wellness programs always start for the right reasons. A company recognizes that its staff are valuable human beings who deserve to be taken care of. They recognize that people who are in good all round health are more productive and successful. Wellness at work includes providing a new core of skills, or personal protective behaviour that holistically benefits the person at work and at home and most often provides life long skills.
Do you know why most corporate wellness programs fail?
Workplace wellness programs may seem easy. But there’s a fine line between easy and intrusive to ensure measurable success. Remember that employees are people, not statistics.
This week I have shared with you the 5 most common pitfalls of corporate wellness programs that you must keep in mind when you design or introduce your wellness strategy.
Watch the videos on my YouTube channel here and remember to hit the SUBSCRIBE button, so you don’t miss any future videos.
The 5 most common pitfalls are:
Pitfall #1– Lacks Leadership Support
Wellness programs don’t happen without the support of key leaders. Identify your resources and key people, and engender their ongoing backing. If you introduce wellness programs but have senior leaders and managers who don’t foster well-being employees may end up seeing your wellness communications as just lip service. But when wellness is at the heart of everything you do, it’s easier to share it with employees and watch them follow your lead. Basically I’m asking the leaders to walk-the-talk! Consider creating a wellness committee so that your employees have a say in co-creating their wellness program.
Pitfall #2- Lacks Integration
Avoid creating something quickly that doesn’t tap into long-term behavioural change. Instead, establish a comprehensive strategic plan that builds employee engagement over time. Make sure the wellness program is customized to your organizations needs and aligned with the company’s mission and goals. And just as important it’s integrated with other cultural and wellbeing initiatives and programs. And remember to be measuring progress and results so it can be improved and successes can be celebrated. Why not include a wellness goal in your staff ’s yearly performance objectives? So instead of thinking about wellness as just a program, make sure it’s part of your corporate culture.
Pitfall #3- Lacks Employee Engagement
As you can imagine, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work well for well-being and health concerns. In a workplace where there’s usually a mix of Gen X, Baby Boomers, and Millennials, it may feel challenging to address everyone’s issues. So I recommend Surveying individual generations and their needs can help leadership better understand what type of programs would work best for each group. This is to support employee choice without making it overwhelming, consider providing a wellness credit so employees can choose the activity that works best for them. Make wellness programs accessible by sharing information through team meetings, corporate emails and your corporate intranet.
Pitfall #4 – Lacks Consistency
Avoid trying for quick fix wellness initiatives such as often “flavor of the month,” challenges, contests, biometric screening, and lunch-and-learn events, that are often forgotten or worst not integrated with other initiatives or not followed up on. Consistency can carve mountains. Having a well thought out integrated wellness plan demonstrates to your employees that you’re serious and dedicated to their wellbeing. This will increase their participation because they will come to expect it and even look forward to it. Provided that you’ve created the program with their feedback and needs in mind.
Pitfall #5 – Lacks a Holistic Approach to Physical and Mental Health
While customizing the program to your workforce is important, make sure you don’t end up with a fragmented initiative focusing just on physical wellness like exercise and eating well. Since body and mind are connected, giving your employees physical wellness tools without any tools to combat stress such as breathwork will yield only partial results.
Get started with your workplace wellness strategy with my Workplace Wellness Calendar here.
P.S. If you’re ready to leverage your workplace wellness strategy and explore how to optimize individual, team and your company’s performance, book your complimentary Workplace Wellness call here.
References:
https://www.intheblack.com/articles/2020/04/01/pros-and-cons-of-corporate-wellness-programs