Health And Wellness Programs

A representative Wellness Committee is a cornerstone of a successful Employee Wellness Program, regardless of the size of the corporation.

Membership of your Wellness Committee

Aim for a committee of a manageable size (no more than 15 members, depending on your corporation’s size). Your Wellness Committee should represent all employee groups (e.g., full-time and part-time staff members, managers and front-line staff, salary and hourly staff members, union representation, HR, marketing or communications, legal, and occupational health/safety).

Here are some additional considerations:

• Wellness Committee members can be selected by leadership or can be selected from among volunteers.
• Determine in advance how long Wellness Committee members will serve and how new members will be selected. Balance the need for continuity with the need to bring fresh ideas and energy to your corporation’s Employee Wellness Program.
• It’s not necessary, or even desirable, to have your healthiest staff members on the Wellness Committee. Ideal Wellness Committee members are those who best can represent their peers, motivate others and support the implementation of the Employee Wellness Program.
• Consider offering an incentive or recognition to Wellness Committee members. It legitimizes their positions and encourages participation. Some corporations that have implemented stipends have generated enough staff member interest that the selection of Wellness Committee membership becomes a competitive process. The Wellness Committee responsibilities become a formal component of the member’s job accountabilities.

Role of your Wellness Committee

In some corporations the Wellness Committee is accountable for the implementation of the Employee Wellness Program. In other corporations, the Wellness Committee plays an advisory role. In either case, the group members can be asked to:

• Attend regular meetings of the Wellness Committee.
• Help establish a vision and name for the corporation’s Employee Wellness Program.
• Represent their peers by sharing ideas, needs, concerns and feedback from their work areas and colleagues about proposed Company Health and Wellness Program Strategies, policies, and programs.
• Offer feedback on the possible obstacles to proposed Company Health and Wellness Program Strategies and offer suggestions for addressing those obstacles (e.g., how does a proposed policy fit with the schedules of staff members?).
• Suggest effective Company Health and Wellness Program communication Strategies and solutions to challenges. For example, what is the best way to communicate with staff members who work the third shift? How will staff members react to a proposed message from upper management?
• Be a voice of support for a culture of health, carrying the message from the Wellness Committee to their work areas and colleagues.

Functioning of your Wellness Committee

Meet. Schedule regular Wellness Committee meetings on paid work time. Your Wellness Committee may want to meet frequently at first, then slightly less often as your health improvement strategy is more established. If your Wellness Committee is new, it might be useful to ask members to provide information about themselves and their interests.

Communicate. Set up regular and frequent channels of communication with Wellness Committee members so they are up to date and engaged. An email list is often the easiest way to do this. Encourage communication to flow both ways: from Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator to members and from members to coordinator.

Check-in. At least once a year, evaluate how effectively the Wellness Committee is functioning. Is the Wellness Committee serving its original purpose? Ask committee members for their feedback. Do they feel like their work is making a difference? Do they feel like their input is valued and taken into account when planning and implementing initiatives? Do they understand their expected Company Health and Wellness Program roles and responsibilities? Are there members who want to rotate off of the committee? How will new members be selected?