The Importance of Your Worksite Wellness Team | Houston Personal ...

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Committees are key for successful wellness programs.

If you want to build an evidenced-based wellness program for your business, you must take the time to build a strong wellness team. ?It might be easier to rely on a wellness vendor or an online platform to deliver wellness information to your employees. ?But there is no substitute for enthusiastic team members, on the ground, in the various departments and divisions of your company, to create a buzz about wellness.

In their book, Built to Last, Collins and Poras studied companies that have enjoyed a long and productive history. ?Interestingly, their research shows that these successful companies rely on teams rather than individuals. ?Having a charismatic or visionary leader is great. ?But in the long run, strong teams will keep a program alive and vital, long after a particular leader leaves the stage. ?Not only is this true for companies, but it is especially true for wellness programs. ?The strength of a team can help to produce amazing results. ?The responsibility for the program is spread among the team. ?If someone leaves, for whatever reason, the work of the wellness team continues. ?The team carries the vision for the program, and carries that message into all levels of the company.

When a worksite wellness program comes from a single department, without representation from the company at large, wellness can be perceived as something that the company is doing to?employees, not with and for them. ?By creating a committee made up of people from various departments, locations, and levels, you can reduce the chance for an ?us vs. them? mentality sometimes seen by frontline employees. ?Worksite wellness is for everyone, not just the upper level elite.

The most successful teams will have regular meetings. ?The meetings will serve to educate team members about wellness concepts as well as the company?s wellness program planning and implementation. ?One very effective strategy for a wellness committee is to use this group as a test group for any future activities. ?The group is a microcosm of the employee population at large, so it?s a great place to work out the kinks in communication and program delivery.

The team should include people who are at various stages in their own health and fitness journey. ?It shouldn?t be made up of only?those people who eat perfectly and run marathons! ?A few health nuts in the group is fine, but the idea is that you are trying to reach the ?every-man/woman? in your employee population. ?A committee member who fits that role will be more helpful in getting the message to a larger group. ?They can say ?If I can do it, so can you.?

Ideally, wellness team members should get some kind of perks for participating. ?Here are a few ideas:

• 3 months of paid health coaching or personal training
• 2 days off their regular duties each year to attend the committee?s corporate wellness retreat and planning at an off-site location.
• A gift certificate for a massage or a healthy food vendor like ?Tru Meals? or ?My Fit Foods.?
• A team t-shirt

If you create the right atmosphere, people will look forward to participating on the committee. ?They will see it as an honor and will become the best advocates for the wellness program. ?You can have people rotate off the committee every 2 or 3 years. ?That way more people get a chance to learn and to participate. ?It will keep your team fresh and vital.

If you need help forming your team, or educating them, give X Factor a call at 713.443.6922. ?We would love to help your wellness committee become healthy and strong champions for your company?s wellness program.

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This entry was posted on Monday, August 29th, 2011 at 9:09 am You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://www.xfactorfitnesssolutions.com/blog/the-importance-of-your-worksite-wellness-team

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