Health And Wellness In The WorkplaceHealth And Wellness In The Workplace

Prior to you begin planning your Workplace Wellness Program you need to know where you are now and then decide where you want to go.  Attaining a thorough needs assessment is vital to the performance of your wellness program for two reasons:  First it ensures that your Workplace Wellness Program activities will be targeted to meet your company’s specific needs so that outcomes have the potential to be achieved.  Secondly the needs assessment provides the information you will need to evaluate the effectiveness of your wellness program.

It is often tempting to rush the assessment – especially when time is short or those with experience already have an idea of needs.  Do not give in to this temptation!  It is vital to be aware of what your organization needs are, what senior staff expects, and what employees want as well as expect, before you create a Employee Wellness Program.  

Consider and gather data on:

• Employee Demographic Information
• Employee Health Risk Factors
• Medical Claims
• Injury Rates & Causes
• Workers’ Compensation Claims
• Short and Long Term Disability Claims
• Absenteeism
• Company Culture Audits
• Employee perceived needs and health risks
• Senior Leadership’s expectations or desired outcomes

There are many ways to evaluate this information.  Although some of data gathering process may be time consuming, remember that it is nonetheless critical to plan programs that target specific problems.  This information will be critical to set goals and objectives and for evaluating program performance.  How else can you know if outcomes have been achieved?

Options to help gather the information:

• Confidential Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) with a Business Group Summary Report
• Wellness Screenings such as blood lipids, Blood Pressure (BP) and blood glucose click here for additional information on health screenings.
• Employee Needs and Interest Surveys
• Suggestion boxes placed around the organization
• Focus Groups or hosting a luncheon meeting as a focus group
• Sending out a confidential email questionnaire
• Review records and databases including OSHA logs, first aid reports, insurance costs  

Once your needs assessment is complete, the Company Health Promotion Program Committee can review the outcome and start creating and prioritizing program options.  Starting ought to be based on objectives and goals and identified outcomes, Step 4 of the seven step process!