Employee Health Screening

Strong and visible leadership support for the Employee Health and Wellness Program encourages health and is essential to securing required Employee Health and Wellness Program resources (staff, time, and money) and implementing recommended changes.

1. Identify a Employee Health and Wellness Program champion

In a small company, there may be a single leader who is the clear choice to champion the Employee Health and Wellness Program. In a larger company, look for an executive with the authority to influence others in the uppermost levels of the organization regarding the Employee Health and Wellness Program. The Employee Health and Wellness Program champion need not be the fittest member of leadership. Rather, look for a Employee Health and Wellness Program leader with the disposition to be a visible and vocal supporter of worksite policies that encourage healthy behaviors. Organizations with multiple sites can consider whether it would be useful to have an executive Employee Health and Wellness Program champion at each site.

2. Find existing Employee Health and Wellness Program allies

There may already be a number of individuals within your company who recognize the value of a Employee Health and Wellness Program. Think about who those individuals are in your company; consider areas such as occupational safety, union representatives, risk management, medical officers, and human resources when looking for a Employee Health and Wellness Program ally. Secure their stated support for the Employee Health and Wellness Program. Employee Health and Wellness Program support could include contributions of staff time or expertise, financial resources, agreement to endorse/support policy and environmental changes, or agreement to participate in, and voice their support for, changes in the worksite that will help to build a culture of wellness.

3. Build a business case for the Employee Health and Wellness Program

There is a reason that more and more businesses are finding a way to promote employee health via a Employee Health and Wellness Program and policies: A Employee Health and Wellness Program makes good business sense. staff members with healthy behaviors, on average, are more productive when at work (higher presenteeism)1 and incur lower healthcare costs than employees with less healthy behaviors.2,3  As a result it would be foolish not to have a Employee Health and Wellness Program.

4. When developing a Employee Health and Wellness Program use what you know about leadership styles and the decision-making process within your company

Every company is different. Build leadership support for the Employee Health and Wellness Program in the way that makes the most sense for your company. Think about the following as you plan how to approach leadership for Employee Health and Wellness Program support:

• What are the current pressures and priorities facing executives? How could a Employee Health and Wellness Program and a healthier workforce support those priorities?
• How do your leaders prefer to receive data: written documents? verbal presentations?
• What kinds of Employee Health and Wellness Program information are likely to influence decisions? Do they want data and Employee Health and Wellness Program statistics specific to your company, or are state or national data sufficient? Are your leaders more influenced by internal factors or by what competitors are doing?
• Who would your leaders see as a credible messenger for this Employee Health and Wellness Program information? Does someone from the risk management area carry more clout than someone from the human resources area?
• How do decisions get made in your company? Informal committee meetings? Formal or informal meetings between executives? Plan accordingly and you improve the odds that the Employee Health and Wellness Program will become a reality.

5. Maintain Employee Health and Wellness Program support once you have it

Once you have appropriate Employee Health and Wellness Program support, ensure that you keep it by regularly updating your leaders on employee health and progress toward beginning a culture that encourages health. Ask upper management how frequently they want to receive Employee Health and Wellness Program progress reports.

Source Information:
1 Bunn, JOEM, 2006, 48:10.
2 Foldes, Bland, An et al. Modifiable Health Risks and Short-Term Health Care Costs. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota internal research, submitted for publication.
3 Anderson, 2000, American Journal of Health Promotion, 15:1.