• support from senior management
• a wellness committee or team
• information about the wellness needs and interests of employees
• a budget
• program objectives
• an evaluation plan

Even if you have few financial and/or human resources, you can still take a “micro” approach. For example, you could focus on only one specific issue or problem. Creativity, enthusiasm and planning can help you overcome limitations.

This article will give you some ideas for setting up workplace wellness programs. Even the smallest steps can have an impact.
Whether you choose to begin with a single program or develop something larger, planning is essential. First think about the big picture and then look after the details.

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Ask yourself these questions:

• Identify an action. What health-related program will fit the bill and best suit the employees and organization?
• Promote. How can you most effectively get the word out to employees? What are the opportunities for promotion? Consider everything, because employees have access to and pay attention to different types of messages. In a typical workplace, employees get information from e-mail, newsletters, bulletins, brochures, meeting announcements and fellow employees.
• Deliver. Who is the best person or group to put the program into action? Ask other companies about approaches they have used. Decide on your budget before making a decision.
• Evaluate. What should you evaluate to determine success? Do you need hard data and/or testimonials from individual participants?

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety recommends the following when planning your initiative:

• creating and communicating clear objectives
• targeting your audience
• deciding on the type of program or campaign

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The Elements of Workplace Wellness Programming

Initiatives to promote wellness in the workplace don’t need to be restricted to a single area. You might think workplace wellness only involves promoting positive personal health, e.g., blood pressure clinics, brochures on heart disease, “lunch and learn” seminars on eating habits and short-term physical activity programs.

These activities are important, but workplace wellness should also be part of a company’s business strategy and go beyond traditional programming.

Taking a broader approach, the National Quality Institute recently identified three key elements of a healthy workplace:

• physical environment
• social environment and personal resources
• health practices

Specific Program Ideas

Physical Environment
Look after workers’ health and safety and establish regulations to support their health and safety. Consider providing the following:

• Safe bike storage and shower and/or change facilities for cyclists and other commuters.
• Fridges for employees to keep snacks and meals fresh and/or healthy snacks in vending machines and cafeterias.
• Ergonomic assessments.
• Subsidies to help employees join local recreation centres.
• Classrooms/conference rooms available for booking activities such as yoga, pilates, tai chi, meditation and aerobics.
• Safe and pleasant stairwells that invite employees to use them.
• Assessing the potential for violence at work with plans to deal with such risks.
• Good lighting and sound and air quality.

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Social Environment

Human relationships and communication, as well as ways of doing business, can affect an employee’s mental and physical health. Companies should consider the following:

• respectful workplace policies that provide safe worksites
• policies on flex time
• policies on working from home
• employee satisfaction surveys
• leadership coaching
• resiliency training
• employee assistance programs

To foster a positive social culture or climate, consider employees’ needs, which include:

• being respected
• a sense of belonging, purpose and mission
• freedom of expression
• protection from harassment and discrimination

What you’ve “always done” may not address current employee needs. Ensuring that people enjoy being at work is not an easy task, but making the right changes can have a huge impact.

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Health Practices

Offer programs and set policies that help employees remain healthy or improve their health while at work. Consider offering the following:

• “Lunch and learn sessions” on healthy habits such as sleeping better, eating on the run, healthy snacks, using a pedometer, pole walking, work-life balance, time management, stress management, resiliency, parenting and reading nutrition labels.
• Stop smoking clinics or subsidies to help employees quit.
• Health risk appraisals, including fitness assessments.
• Programs to address the issues raised in the health risk appraisals.
• Healthy snacks served at meetings and conferences.

Personal Workplace Wellness Tips

If there is no wellness program at your worksite, don’t let that stop you from keeping healthy. Perhaps your example will spark a movement toward a healthier workplace.

Here are a few ideas to think about:

• Be active at work. There are many ways to bring activity into your workday. Walk to work, even if it’s just one way. Hold walking meetings. Bike to work. Use the stairs. Walk to a workmate’s office instead of sending an e-mail.
• Eat well at work. Pack a healthy snack and meal. Place a bottle of water at your desk or workstation. Eat breakfast and eat regularly during the day. Take turns bringing a basket of fruit for co-workers’ snacks. Order healthy snacks for meetings.
• Maintain work-life balance. Work efficiently so you can leave on time. Conduct short, effective meetings. Leave your work at work and don’t take it home. Minimize social chit-chat. Set up your office to enhance your work. Avoid clutter. Plan and prioritize to ensure that the most important things get done first.

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There’s no limit to the number or variety of workplace wellness programs. A key to success is planning well and ensuring that you can evaluate the results so that you can sustain momentum.

Talk to other wellness practitioners to find out what works well for them. Listen to your co-workers to determine their needs and interests. And don’t forget to promote, promote, promote.

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Learn More:

Active Living at Work
Strategies to increase participation in fitness and active living programs.

GO2 Calgary
Tips on becoming active in the workplace.

Healthy Eating at Work
Why and how a workplace might consider a healthy eating program.

Healthy Workplace Week
For organizations interested in participating in Canada's Healthy Workplace Week 2007.

Physical Activity @ Work
This new website from the Alberta Centre for Active Living helps you plan ways to increase physical activity before, during and after the workday.

Stairway to Health
Stairway to Health, a partnership between and the Canadian Council for Health and Active Living at Work, offers a range of ideas, from downloadable posters to virtual challenges. This interactive website provides tools to develop and manage a Stairway to Health program.

Work-Life Balance
Benefits, policies or programs that help create a better balance between the demands of the job and the healthy management (and enjoyment) of life outside work. Find ideas for a work-life balance initiative at your worksite.