Establishing and Maintaining a Worksite Wellness Team Jessie L. Sandoval Wellness Consultant

WELCOA’s 7 Benchmarks of Success Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) Capture senior level support Create a cohesive wellness team Collect data Craft and operating plan Choose appropriate interventions Create a supportive environment Carefully evaluate outcomes Reference: Wellness Councils of American (WELCOA), Absolute Advantage 2006 Volume 6,

“A comprehensive approach to worksite health results is a planned and organized set of programs, policies, benefits, and environmental supports designed to meet the health and safety needs of all employees. A comprehensive approach looks to put interventions in place that address multiple risk factors and health conditions concurrently and recognizes that the interventions and strategies chosen influence multiple levels of the organization including the individual employee and the organization as a whole.” Reference: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

Creating a wellness team is just ONE piece of the puzzle. It is often integrated into the overall design and implementation of a worksite wellness program. One piece of

Establishing a wellness team Does leadership support exist? (middle management = key players) Who will manage/lead the team? Are there employees interested in the opportunity? Is there a structure in place to support the team? What is the mission/purpose of the team? How will multiple sites or locations

Wellness Champions –Most successful worksite wellness programs are supported by a group of enthusiastic employees that form at the grassroots level. –Often called "Wellness Champions" - they are the drivers for building a culture of wellness and encouraging participation in a company’s wellness program. –They help direct the organization in selecting wellness programs and offerings, measuring the success of the programs and creating environments where

Quick Poll Do you currently have a wellness team established?

Quick Poll Are you interested in starting a wellness program?

“A wellness team is comprised of wellness champions, employees committed to promoting health and wellness in

Wellness Champion traits Have a passion for wellness Are committed to personal health Exhibit good organizational skills Dedicated to building and maintaining relationships Support the overall company mission Maintain a holistic outlook Know how to

Holly Firestine, Manager for Wellness and Worklife at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta shares this perspective regarding effective Wellness Champions. “A business approach to wellness, where there is a true strategic approach to programming and measurement that aligns with corporate strategy, is critical to the success of anyone seeking to lead Wellness in the workplace. The Wellness Leader must have the ability to sustain the culture through stakeholder engagement throughout all leadership and staff levels in order to establish credibility and authenticity with

Quick Poll How many Wellness Champions are on your wellness team?

Why are Wellness Champions important? Provide a trusted resource for employees Help improve teamwork and employee moral Increase awareness of wellness opportunities Help employees see worksite wellness as a company priority. Share a broad range of talents

Wellness team defined A wellness team is a group of employees who formally meet and plan activities to promote good health for themselves and for their fellow workers. This team… Represents employees from all organizational levels. Communicates to employees information about known health risks and the value of a worksite wellness committee and wellness initiatives. Creates and maintains open lines of communication between wellness committees and employees. Promotes participation in both individual and group activities. Advocates for worksite policies and environments that support improved health. Coordinates the monitoring and evaluation of the wellness activities/programs offered to employees. Serves as the leader/champion for wellness activities at their worksite.

Example – Invitation Letter Where/how to recruit Wellness Champions? Ask mid-level managers for recommendations Post information about being a Wellness Champion Review any past interest survey information Look at other internal committee/teams for collaboration (motivation/moral committee ex.)

Maintaining a wellness team 1.Write worksite wellness into job descriptions 2.Promote the team throughout the organization 3.Develop a team with good leadership 4.Add diversity to the team 5.Meet regularly face to face 1-2x/month 6.Assign someone to take and distribute meeting notes 7.Provide continual communication 8.Make continuing education options available and accessible Reference: adapted from WELCOA “Tips for Maintaining a Worksite Wellness Team”

Additional Tips… Develop online "kit" to house made ready made resources for wellness champions Establish an annual awards program to recognize the wellness champions' contributions and involve the leadership team in the celebration Include input/feedback from wellness champions into

“Wellness Champions play a vital role in the success of wellness programs and when you educate, empower and reward them, you'll find they can be

Case study – current NRP client 1. Choose someone to head the program (aka Wellness Coordinator) and then form a well-rounded team. In other words, get employees from different areas of the company so that all employees are represented. 2. Have employees complete a survey to see what they would like to get from a wellness program. You can think you KNOW what employees want, but you may be surprised! And you want to make the program what the employees actually want or you won’t

Case study continued 3. Don’t try to do too much right away. Baby steps! 4. Get upper-management/CEO support. 5. Develop a plan. It’s easy to get “off track” if the committee doesn’t have a plan. (We had a plan for the first 6 months of our program and then we planned all of 2015 in January so that we had a clear vision of what we would do

Case study continued Additional recommendations: Include updates, news and general health and wellness announcements in a company newsletter (paper version added to paystubs or sent out via ). Put up wellness bulletin boards and rotate articles/information so it is always timely and fresh. Michelle L. Tureskis, Human Resources Benefits Coordinator Valley

Sample First Meeting Agenda Recommendations: Keep the first meeting short and sweet Make time for introductions Provide clarity around roles/expectations Each person leaves with an actionable item Ask

Sample Policy & Environment Survey This is a tool/resource for the wellness team. Include it in the first meeting or have the team members fill out before hand. Have a plan in place for how to use the information to support future initiatives or programs. Be clear with what areas of feedback can and cannot be acted upon based on organizational policies

FREE resources you can use Creating cohesive wellness teams special report from WELCOA Sample wellness team work plan (long form) Sample wellness team work plan (short form) Sample wellness job descriptions Sample wellness team workbook WELCOA Well Workplace University National Healthy Worksite Program (NHWP), Created in Oct by the CDC American Heart Association, Workplace Wellness Resources

Minnesota Workplace resources/organizations Minnesota Department of Health Statewide Health Improvement program (SHIP) grant information/stories Contact your local SHIP programhttp:// Statewide Health Improvement Programhttp:// Center for Prevention, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesotahttp://preventionminnesota.com/ Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota The Presidents’

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Worksite Wellness – Service available to all North Risk Partners clients Employees are a company’s most important asset. Let us help protect yours with complimentary worksite wellness services!  Monthly WorkLife Wellness Newsletter  Assistance with leveraging carrier options  Employee interest surveys  Training  Special events (e.g. an NRP-sponsored health fair)  Ongoing support from NRP’s certified worksite wellness consultant Monthly WorkLife Wellness Newsletter- Designed to be easily shared by or printed pdf, this employee-facing newsletter includes best practices for wellness at work and in life. Leveraging carrier options- Our worksite wellness expert will help you identify and leverage valuable wellness resources already built into your insurance plan. Employee interest surveys- We provide surveys to help you define the needs and interests of your employees, which in turn help you develop a more effective worksite wellness plan for your organization’s unique culture Training- Attend expert-led trainings online or in person on a variety of different worksite

Ongoing support As is true with all of our services, the value of our worksite wellness services is rooted in our capacity to provide you with customized ongoing support from an industry expert. North Risk Partners’ worksite wellness consultant, Jessie Sandoval, is available to talk you through all phases of the worksite wellness planning and implementation process. About Jessie  Certified Worksite Wellness Specialist (CWWS) and Program Manager (CWWPM) through the National Wellness Institute  Certified Health Coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition  Registered yoga instructor with over 12 years of teaching experience (corporate, gym, studio and specialty classes) Contact Information Jessie L.

Presentation Materials Sample Policy and Environment Survey: _Environment_Survey..pdf _Environment_Survey..pdf Sample Meeting Agenda: genda.pdf genda.pdf Sample let of invitation to serve on a Wellness Team: nvitation_to_serve_on_Wellness_Team.pdf nvitation_to_serve_on_Wellness_Team.pdf