You have a free, untapped resource to boost wellness
You have a free, untapped resource to boost wellness
Enlist employees to promote programs
(Editor's note: This story is the first of a two-part series on increasing participating in wellness programs. This month, we report on the use of employee volunteers to promote programs with their own success stories. Next month, we'll cover how to improve communication to get out the word about programs.)
It sounds logical that employees who are already being asked to "do more with less" would be unlikely to volunteer to give even more of their time, unpaid, to act as wellness champions. But if you make this assumption, you'd be mistaken.
"An employee may be overworked, but a particular activity may be a passion for them," says Don R. Powell, PhD, president and CEO of the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, a wellness program provider based in Farmington Hills, MI. For instance, an office manager who is also dedicated runner might jump at the chance to be a site coordinator for a 5K race.
To get people to volunteer, use the same methods that you use to promote programs: posters, newsletters, and e-mail blasts. "Rather than hiring an outside speaker, someone in your organization could lead a lunch and learn," says Powell. "It doesn't have to be a manager. It could be somebody working on a line. The idea that a peer is speaking will make their buddies more likely to want to come."
When limited funding prevented John Deere from working with a national weight and health management company, the company turned to an employee who had lost a significant amount of weight. She agreed to lead a 13-week on-site peer support and educational group.
"Since employees knew her, they were more inspired than they would have been with a stranger," says Sharon Hodson, RN, COHN-S/CM, Deere's manager of corporate occupational health. "Many came weekly to learn about healthy eating, and nearly 20 co-workers lost 11 pounds on average." The program was so popular, in fact, that employees continue to meet weekly to weigh-in and support each other in eating healthier.
As an added benefit, with an employee serving as a motivational leader for weight loss, John Deere realized a cost savings. Hodson estimates the direct cost to an employer to bring in an external consulting company to provide a health and weight management program of similar length to the workplace is typically $120 per participant.
At Stamford, CT-based Pitney Bowes, wellness "ambassadors" play a major role in running a major walking event called "PB Employees are One in a Million Day." Elysa Jacobs, MS, RD, manager of corporate health improvement programs, says, "My department supplies the wellness ambassadors with everything they need. They lead the walk and organize additional volunteers at their site."
Find people with passion
When participants in Pitney Bowes' wellness programs complete a satisfaction survey, they are asked whether they have a success story to share. "We just started doing this recently," says Jacobs. "It's not that difficult to get volunteers. We have quite a few people willing to share stories."
Employees often think they are too busy to participate, but hearing from one of their colleagues about losing a significant amount of weight or quitting smoking is "really powerful," says Jacobs.
For the company's Great American Smokeout campaign, four employees were featured in the company newsletter as "Quit Stars." Similarly, three employees who participated in a weight management program were featured in a company communication. For the first two years of the program, about 300 employees participated, but after the success story feature ran, the number of participants soared to 900. [See company's newsletter featuring the employees.]
"It was a huge increase, and I think the communication definitely propelled it a lot," says Jacobs. "The cost avoidance for obesity alone is hundreds of dollars a person. So if we can make an impact on 900 people, that is huge."
Similarly, a walking program with 150 participants increased to 600, in part due to success stories shared in the company newsletter by employees.
To identify employees who are interested in becoming a wellness ambassador, Jacobs enlists the help of human resources (HR). "Sometimes the wellness ambassador is an HR professional, but for some sites the HR staff helps identify two employees who are passionate about the health and wellness programs," says Jacobs. "These employees help with program promotion, offer input and feedback on the needs of the employees, and act as event staff."
This story is the first of a two-part series on increasing participating in wellness programs. This month, we report on the use of employee volunteers to promote programs with their own success stories. Next month, we'll cover how to improve communication to get out the word about programs.Subscribe Now for Access
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