Worksite Wellness for Tompkins County
Worksite environments that support good nutrition and regular physical activity

Identify an inside advocate to act as coordinator

This may be you, or you may be looking for someone. Whoever it is, this person should

Secure support of top managers / officers

This may be you, in which case you may already be fully supportive. However, if you're the advocate (or an uncertain top manager) it is important to know how a business will benefit from worksite wellness programs.

Form a wellness committee

This is so critical that no wellness program should be attempted without a committee. A wellness committee, drawing members from different work areas within the organization, establishes continuity, motivation, and broad ownership of the program.

Anywhere from 4 to 10 people meeting monthly equals a wellness committee. A mission statement for the committee should be developed by the second meeting. This way, everyone knows what the committee is working toward. To give you an idea of what a wellness committee does, minutes from a local worksite have been posted. Click here to review them.

Once a wellness program has been established the committee's size and meeting schedule may change. Still, no fewer than 4 members should meet at least quarterly so the group --- and the wellness program --- does not fade away.

Formal survey of employees' needs / interests

"Bottom-up" support is just as critical to the success of your program as is "top-down" support. Ask employees what they're interested in, and what needs they have. Remember that fundementally, a wellness program is behavioral change. People are much more willing to change if they are involved in the change process. (Go to sample surveys)

Set goals for your wellness program
(outcomes and expectations)

A wellness program should have a destination. Use the results of your survey and your wellness committee's mission statement as guides. Consider these ideas:

Set objectives for your wellness program
(activities and programs)

This is the action part...

Go to examples

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