5/11/2015. Seven Benchmarks of a Successful Worksite Wellness Program. Benchmark #1 Capturing Senior Level Support

Transcription

1 Healthcare costs are an issue of significant concern. Much of the illness in the U.S. is directly preventable. With over 60% of Americans in the workforce, it is an is an ideal setting to address health and well being. Measure Seven Benchmarks of a Successful Worksite Wellness Program The following Seven Benchmarks were developed by Wellness Council of American (WELCOA). Today, WELCOA has become one of the most respected resources for workplace wellness in America. With a membership of over 4,000 organizations, Welcoa is dedicated to improving the health and well being of all working Americans Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) 2 Benchmark #1 Capturing Senior Level Support Senior level support is critical to the success of any worksite health initiative. Senior level executives control the purse strings, the organizational agenda, and all of the communication channels. Succeeding without senior level support is virtually impossible. By knowing what needs to be accomplished organizationally, you will be able position your health promotion activities to fit within the context of the core business units. (more details in document that will be sent) 3 1

2 Capturing Senior Level Support (cont.) Questions to Ask: What are the organization s short term and long term strategic priorities? What benefits can be expected from your wellness initiative and what s the potential value of health promotion to the organization? What are the leadership styles, pressures, strengths and weaknesses of your senior level executives? Short surveys are available to use to answer these questions. (emphasis short) 4 Benchmark #2 Creating Cohesive Wellness Teams Most organizations make decisions in teams. Involve key players across the organization Important the members have a genuine interest and passion for health. Successful, results oriented wellness programs almost always use a team approach too much important work to be done by one person and too many talents and skills in the organizations to pass by. Composition of team is critical diverse and enthusiastic. 5 Benchmark #3 Collecting Data to Drive Health Efforts Wellness programs are not only activity centered, but also results oriented. Activity centered programs sound good, look good and allow people to feel good, but contribute little to the bottom line. Result oriented programs are carefully researched, well designed, and flawlessly executed. Most important thing you can do is collect data. No business would dream of introducing a new product without doing market research. 6 2

3 Collecting Data to Drive Health Efforts (cont.) 73% of businesses offering health promotion activities do so without conducting needs assessments is it needed, wanted or even useful? Even if you guess well, and the activity was productive, you won t be able to prove it without before and after data. Two questions what do businesses need out of their health promotion efforts and what do the employees want? Where to find data: medical claims, disability, facility assessment, HRA s, screening data, culture audit, leadership survey (culture and leadership surveys are available) 7 Collecting Data to Drive Health Efforts (cont.) After evaluating the business need, find out what employees want focus groups, individual interviews, simple surveys, open ended questions, or in meetings. Your goal is the marriage of the best interests of the business and the employees. Business benefit will keep it going. Wellness team then evaluates information and submits to leadership. Don t jump the gun and go public until leadership approves. Assess culture first and then health status. Data collection is not health promotion it is only one step. Collect data regularly and be creative with the information you receive. (for instance after a campaign or brown bag gather evaluations from participants) 8 Benchmark #4 Crafting an Operating Plan A plan helps you look at company needs and priorities. A plan communicates your program to senior leaders. A plan gives your program continuity through staff changes. A plan provides the energy to get things moving. You need: A Vision, Goals, Objectives, Implementation/ Timeline, Marketing/Communications, Itemized Budget, Evaluation Plan This is where you use the strength and talents of your wellness team pick only one or two items to focus on from the data. Be realistic in setting goals a modest success is better than a grand failure. 9 3

4 Benchmark #5 Choosing Appropriate Interventions So far the wellness team is in place, you ve collected data on the interests of management and employees, you have goals and objectives, there is a budget, and plans for promoting the program. What risk factor are prevalent in your population? What does senior management want the program to achieve? What do your employees want? How much money and time do you have? What does the latest research indicate? How many areas should you focus on? 10 Benchmark #5 Choosing Appropriate Interventions (cont.) Example: Your team has determined that stress is a major risk factor in your workplace. You have selected stress reduction as a topic for intervention. Do your homework find out what interventions are being done, talk to other professionals, look at products available from government, nonprofits and vendors. Offer your message in a variety of ways, but first and foremost a message from the top. Paycheck stuffers, stress management classes or brown bags, stock a wellness library, use your EAP, computer based programs, personal coaching, support groups, point of decision prompts, company policies for flex time, assistance with child care, recognition, competition, incentives. 11 Benchmark #5 Choosing Appropriate Interventions (cont.) Use a similar format for any other campaigns consistency, use any and every delivery mode available, be a broken record, you cannot communicate prevention enough! These programs set the stage for behavior change, help people recognize health issues and give them permission to consider taking action. These programs cut across departments so you get to know others at the worksite relationships are important. Offer something for everyone parenting, cooking, time management, medical self care, elder care, nutrition, physical activity, smoking cessation, cancer prevention and so many others! 12 4

5 Benchmark #5 Choosing Appropriate Interventions (cont.) IT TAKES TIME! In health promotion we often invest too little and expect too much. To change stubborn behavior patterns, we need to pick a target health behavior and provide a comprehensive, long term series of interventions. The more exposure you have, the more normal it will seem. Talk to each other about experiences with interventions good or bad. Ask senior management to participate in activities. Build on successful activities by making them annual events at the same time each year, improve them, and make them a part of the culture. Plan how you will evaluate interventions. 13 Benchmark #6 Creating a Supportive Environment This is a long term project! Requires dedication and a lot of sustained hard work. Your team needs to envision a healthier environment. Healthy choices=healthy habits. WELCOA s quote now on everything you see is Healthy By Choice Not By Chance. Wanted: An environment that supports healthy lifestyles! The influence of the worksite on the health and wellness of employees is profound. Are healthy lifestyles recognized at work? Are managers healthy role models? In a supportive environment, employees feel they are valued and that is contagious! They are naturally more loyal and productive. 14 Benchmark #6 Creating a Supportive Environment (cont.) Is your facility friendly enough light, clean air, sound, space, healthy vending, walking paths, healthy cafeteria options? These questions are a part of an employee survey. Recognition for wellness achievements in newsletters, bulletin boards, meetings and incentives given Supportive corporate policies tobacco free, excessive overtime discouraged, shift workers are scheduled to allow adequate rest, medical care coverage rewards good health, EAP programs available Important to give employees a sense that a wellness program is permanent and important to the organization not a fad 15 5

6 Benchmark #6 Creating a Supportive Environment (cont.) Unhealthy Behaviors Risk Factors Chronic Disease Costs and Bad Outcomes Reach X Impact = Effective Wellness Programs! Michael O Donnell s Secret Sauce Recipe to Behavior Change and Steve Aldana s Outcome Based Wellness Programs Made Simple 16 Evaluation Outcomes Evaluating isn t collecting. Evaluation is determining the value of what you ve done. Did you reach the desired outcome? Some interventions may have worked well and some not that is ok! Without evaluation, you will continue with ineffective interventions. You can look for better solutions and be able to communicate to employees and management that your program is achieving its goals. Remember pick only one or two risk factors to focus on for the year. 17 Evaluation Outcomes (cont.) To get funded to repeat a program, you need to be able to show what you have done and how you are going to improve. Compare different types of interventions and what was most effective. You can use this valuable information for leadership, press releases, newsletters, etc. By publicizing results, you can boost participation. Narrow your questions did you meet needs of management, employees or the wellness team? 18 6

7 Evaluation Outcomes (cont.) Consider running a pilot program first and then evaluate. Know what your target is increased knowledge, higher morale, increase in preventative screenings? You have data you collected earlier. Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time Specific. Use consistent methods to evaluate and when midpoint or the end? Incentives should be crystal clear and fair for all participants. Did you stay within the allocated budget? (see Towers Watson information that will be sent after this webinar on the ACA and worksite wellness) 19 Evaluation Outcomes (cont.) Was corporate culture Improved? Were there policy/strategy changes within the organization? Do surveys show how management and employees see the program is an integral part of the way of doing business? Is your worksite becoming a more desirable place for employees to work and attracting new employees? If you had to hire 100 workers by Friday, which would you choose: A. 100 Healthy Workers? B. 100 Unhealthy Workers? 20 Evaluation Outcomes (cont.) What to Evaluate? Knowledge and Skills Reduced Risk Factors Participant Satisfaction Participation Rates Effects on Costs Health Care Claims Workman Comp Claims Absenteeism Productivity 21 7

8 AND NOW TAKE A DEEP BREATH! As you use and develop the Seven Benchmarks, they will become easier until it is just the way you pave the road to wellness. The five things below will take a program to the next level: Collect, Collect, Collect Information Connect, Connect, Connect with Employees think about the shoes your typical employee wears Simplify Simplify Simplify (core idea/tag line Healthy by Choice Not by Chance, keep objectives clear and few) Lead with purpose Evangelize Like Crazy 22 8