Effective Employer Health and Wellness Program Strategies – Part 2
Evaluation of successful Employee Wellness Plans has revealed several primary Employer Health and Wellness Program strategies to increase Employer Health and Wellness Program effectiveness and impact overall Soldier health.
Strategy #5: Using a small number of targeted priorities maintains Employer Health and Wellness Program focus.
• Needs assessment data can be used to identify leading health needs and also high risk populations.
• Choosing a handful of specific health needs on which to focus will maximize efficient use of resources.
• Keeping the Employer Health and Wellness Program focus small will avoid duplication of other ongoing company Employee Wellness Programs.
Strategy #6: Use standardized processes whenever possible.
Reduce the amount of variation within your Employee Wellness Plans by standardizing all the processes needed for Employer Health and Wellness Program planning and implementation. For example:
• Use the same spreadsheet format for data collection so that the columns are in the same order. This way you can compare data more easily.
• Reuse the same forms for enrollment and attendance. Change the heading as needed.
• Look at other Employer Health and Wellness Program processes (like registration, evaluation, marketing, etc.). What parts of those processes can be standardized?
• The Wellness and Prevention Initiatives website (http://chppmwww. apgea.army.mil/dhpw/Population/HPPiFunction.aspx) has many standardized Employer Health and Wellness Program resources in a variety of topic areas.
Strategy #7: Employer Health and Wellness Program delivery methods should be flexible and adapted to population needs.
• Delivery of products and services may depend on: company needs, training requirements, other scheduling considerations (such as work/duty schedules, school scheduling, etc.), participant preference, and/or availability of staff or space.
• Be flexible: the same produce/service delivery methods may not work for every population.
• Some company’s may want services provided to them as close as possible to the company location; other companies may prefer as many services as possible bundled together at once (regardless of location).
• Take wellness and preventive medicine beyond the walls of the company in order to meet leadership and employee needs. Answer the question: “How can we best help leadership and Employees to fulfill their mission?”