Previously, we have discussed the importance of prevention and literacy in wellness program design. This week I will focus on the final component: Health Promotion.
Health Promotion encompasses many aspects of behavioral modification programs, including: wellness activities, health coaching, and a healthy environment.
Historically, wellness programs have been based solely on the activity component. Having a walking program where everyone walks 30 minutes during lunch was a hit. However, these activity-based wellness programs have not been successful, as they lacked health coaching and development of a health-supportive culture. Activities are a necessity to a wellness program, as they offer a mode to encourage engagement and behavior change, but activities should be strategically designed based on the company’s needs. These programs should be allowed onsite, but be designed to not distract from productivity. Instead of offering walking clubs – try adding a step challenge. This allows participants to add more steps at their leisure; take an extra lap on your way to the bathroom, walk to your co-worker’s cubicle or office instead of calling, or take a walking break when it fits into your break schedule.
Health coaching is a strong program to add for behavior modification. Many of those who are thinking about making a change, or are ready to change, need the guidance and resources to do so. Health coaching can be done onsite, telephonically or through online coaching programs. If an ongoing coaching program is not in your budget, be sure to at least include an initial coaching session to review the health risk assessment and biometric data and provide employees direction on how to improve their health.
Another aspect is to improve your company’s overall environment. This can be done by adding healthy foods in the vending machines, promoting the use of stairs versus elevators, having fresh fruit and water available, and/or having an ergonomic specialist visit.