INTEGRATED EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAMME
Strategy for implementation in your organisation
April 2010
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Cape Town Campus – Part-Time
SUBJECT: / Advanced Personnel Management 4STUDENT: / Charlene Martin / STUDENT NUMBER: / 205208649
STUDENT: / Mizpa Kayi / STUDENT NUMBER: / 206198876
STUDENT: / Nokuthula Maswili / STUDENT NUMBER: / 205016944
STUDENT: / Thembela Nogonyoti / STUDENT NUMBER: / 200735012
STUDENT: / Jason Isaacs / STUDENT NUMBER: / 202017389
TOPIC: / Employee Wellness Implementation Strategy
INDIVIDUAL/GROUP: / Group
LECTURER: / Mr S Mguldwa / DUE DATE: / 3 May 2010
I hereby declare that the attached assignment/project is my own work, that I have not copied the whole or any part thereof from any source whatsoever, and where I have referred to any existing work, verbatim or otherwise, I have acknowledged and fully referenced the source so utilized. I further understand that if I am suspected or plagiarism or any other form of cheating, disciplinary proceedings will be instituted against me. This in turn may result in my being expelled from the Institution.
SIGNATURE:
C Martin / SIGNATURE:
M Kayi
SIGNATURE:
N Maswili / SIGNATURE:
T Nogonyoti
SIGNATURE:
J Isaacs
Strategy for Implementation: Integrated Employee Wellness Programme
TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW 1
WHY A WELLNESS PROGRAMME 2
HOW IT FITS 3
BENEFITS 4
BENEFIT TO THE ORGANISATION 4
BENEFIT TO THE EMPLOYEE 5
INTEGRATED HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMME 7
IMPLEMENTATION SUCCESS 9
IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS 10
1. EXCO BUY-IN 11
2. COMMITTEE 11
3. POLICY 12
4. BUDGET AND TIMELINE 13
5. MARKET THE PROGRAMME 13
6. IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAMME 14
7. EVALUATE SUCCESS 14
CONCLUSION 16
BIBLIOGRAPHY 17
April 2010; BTech Part-Time Cape Town Campus Page i
Strategy for Implementation: Integrated Employee Wellness Programme
OVERVIEW
It is often said that the greatest asset of any organisation is its people. This is absolutely true in today’s workplace. Yet many employers do not act as if their people are important to them, they do not take positive steps to care for their health or promote their wellbeing. This failure is a lost opportunity, as staff that are healthy and fit in all aspects will be more productive, and produce quality work.
This document will explain the importance and valuable role employers’ play in protecting and promoting employee health and wellbeing. It will focus on how from a strategic point of view and organisation can align it wellness programme with the goals of the organisation, and unpack what is a wellness programme. It will also discuss the implementation process an organisation would follow to implement an integrated health and wellness programme.
WHY A WELLNESS PROGRAMME
Very often, an organisation will start experiencing organizational difficulties or issues, such as struggling to remain competitive, possibly because your competitor delivers faster than you. This is likely a result of your internal organisation not being as productive as it could, which possibly is the result of high absenteeism, morale issues, etc.
As an organisation, you might have decided to conduct a survey which resulted in your identifying the need for an Employee Wellness Programme, or you just realised you needed help, but either way, you need a strategy on how to introduce employee wellness into your organisation.
For an organisation to remain competitive in the market, your employees need to be physically, mentally and emotionally fit to cope with an ever changing environment. This can be achieved by introducing a wellness plan to counterbalance work related ailments and give employees a more positive outlook. This requires investment in your employees.
Your investment in your most valuable asset, your employees will result in healthy employees who are productive employees. Over and above this, it will assist in reducing costs and attracting and retaining your employees.
HOW IT FITS
It is important that any wellness programme is aligned to your organisations strategy. Your organisation will have a specific vision and in order to achieve your vision, your organisation will be very dependent on fit and healthy employees.
Your mission, who guides your path to your vision, is even more applicable to the strategy. An Employee Wellness Programme is a holistic approach to attending to your employees, ensuring that all areas are being looked after.
Very specifically, your organisations values and objectives should talk directly and clearly align itself with the principles of a wellness programme which has a similar if not the same values.
BENEFITS
A complete wellness programme has three components (Grobler, Wärnich, Carrell, Elbert, & Hatfield, 2006:399):
It helps employees identify potential health risks through screening and testing.
It educates employees about such health risks as high blood pressure (hypertension), smoking, poor diet and stress.
It encourages employees to change their lifestyles through exercise, good nutrition and health monitoring.
According to Robbins (2005:578), in terms of Wellness Programmes, employees need to take personal responsibility for their own physical and mental health. The organisation they work for merely facilitates this process.
BENEFIT TO THE ORGANISATION
Studies have shown that workers are more likely to be on the job and performing well when they are in optimal physical and psychological health. Employees are also more likely to be attracted to, remain with, and value an employer that appreciates them.
The below points, provide a brief outline on some of the benefits to an organisation and ultimately the result will be improved productivity.
Reduced illness and absenteeism
Increased productivity and morale
Improved employee relations
Impact on recruitment (less turnover, less recruitment = reduced time, costs, etc.)
Staff retention
Reduction in on-the-job injuries and worker’s compensation
Reduction in disability management costs
BENEFIT TO THE EMPLOYEE
Employees are the greatest asset of any organisation. Although cliché, we believe this slogan is still absolutely true of today’s workplace. Employers should take positive steps to care for the employees’ health and promote their wellbeing.
An aging workforce and widespread skills shortages means that capable and fit employees are becoming scarce resources and therefore investing in your employees wellbeing should be of a high priority for any organisation.
The following bullets are an outline of the benefits an Employee Wellness Programme would have for the employee of an organisation:
Opportunities to improve their own personal levels of health, fitness, psychological and overall wellbeing
Increased energy and motivation
Creates engagement and affiliation with the organisation
Feels valued by the organisation
Increased team morale
Stress prevention and control
INTEGRATED HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMME
Employee Wellness Programmes, also called Health Promotion Programmes, concentrate employees’ general and physical and mental health (Gebhardt and Crump, 1990). These Programmes target a variety of issues, including stress management, exercise and physical fitness, maintaining a balanced diet and substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, etc.).
Many organisations have Employee Wellness Programmes and have Employee Health and Wellness Days. These are either held on the organisation’s premises or at an outside venue.
The Western Cape Provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism has this event bi-annually and employees can, inter alia, have the following checked: blood pressure, glucose level, cholesterol, HIV status and BMI (Body Mass Index). Employees are also treated to thirty-minute massages (to de-stress). Informational pamphlets on stress, safe sex, substance abuse, a balanced diet, are also distributed.
At the National Department of Rural Development and Land Reform a twenty-four hour hotline is available for employees to speak to a counsellor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or other health professional and discuss their problems. Should these problems be of a very serious nature, the Department arranges treatment for the employee, including counselling sessions, admission to a rehabilitation centre (an employee is entitled to twenty-two working days special leave for rehabilitation purposes per annum [South Africa. Department of Land Affairs, 2006:30]), and so forth.
From the above, we can understand that essentially an Employee Wellness Programme encourages people to take measures to prevent the onset or worsening of a disease or illness and to adopt a lifestyle that is healthier. An organisation can select a range of wellness strategies; some organisations have started very expansive wellness programmes while others have attained savings or increased productivity with just a few simple initiatives that promote a healthier lifestyle. Either way, introducing some intervention is what matters the most.
Based on our research, we developed a model that summarises a comprehensive Employee Wellness Programme. It is structured with four quadrants, namely Physical Healthy, Psychological Health, Work and Life and Employee Assistance. An organisation has strategic priorities that it would have identified and would ensure that the modules or sections required would be utilized from the programme.
Figure 1: Employee Wellness Programme Model
IMPLEMENTATION SUCCESS
There is no guarantee that having an Employee Wellness Programme in place will be beneficial to an organisation or its employees. Ivancevich and Matteson (1996:669) proposed the following recommendations that would increase the probability of having successful results:
Top management support, including both philosophical support and support in terms of staff and facilities, is necessary.
Unions should support the programme and participate in it when appropriate. This can be particularly difficult to accomplish. Many unions take the position that instead of helping employees deal with stress, management should focus on eliminating those conditions that create the stress in the first place.
The greatest payoff from stress prevention and management comes not from one-shot activities, but from ongoing and sustained effort; therefore, long-term commitment is essential.
Extensive and continuing employee involvement would include involvement not only in the initial planning, but in implementation and maintenance as well. This is one of the most critical factors for ensuring representative employee participation.
Clearly stated objectives lay a solid foundation for the programme. Programmes with no or poorly defined objectives are not likely to be effective or achieve sufficient participation to make them worthwhile.
Employees must be able to participate freely, without pressure or stigma.
Confidentiality must be strictly adhered to. Employees must have no concerns that participation will in any way affect their standing in the organisation.
Most organisations prefer to use a third party for the employee wellness offering because it protects the employees privacy and will ensure that the employees feel comfortable divulging personal information and that they do not fear being persecuted at work.
IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
For an Employee Wellness Programme to be effective, the organisation must ensure that their operating plan links the programme to the companies’ needs and strategy priorities. In addition, by having a clear operational plan, the organisation will legitimize the programme which increases the likelihood of continued resources and support, ensure continuation of the programme throughout the organisations lifecycle and will be a way to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme.
Figure 2: Programme Implementation Process Overview
This process is a combination of information available from various resources, including a case study on Absa Bank, and WELCOA is an organisation that is committed to Workplace Wellness Programmes and has identified the seven best practices, called ‘The Seven C’s’, for businesses to follow when creating a comprehensive, effective workplace health promotion programme within their organisation (Infinite Wellness Solutions, 2008), and as part of our research, we combined all the various points from the different sources to create what we believe would be an effective process for implementation, as follows:
- EXCO BUY-IN
Ensure that top management has bought into the concept and that they fully support the programme.
Approval from senior management is critical to the success of any Workplace Wellness Programme. Management has to understand the benefits of the programme for the staff and the organisation and be willing to fund its development, implementation and evaluation. Descriptions of what other businesses are doing in terms of Workplace Wellness Programmes and linking wellness to the business’s goals, values and strategic priorities will help in securing senior management support.
- COMMITTEE
Establish a Committee that will drive the programme and manage the various stakeholders.
Workplace Wellness teams / committees should include a variety of possible initiative participants, including employees as well as representatives or wellness champions from management, union representatives, medical aid association, and third party employee wellness provider member.
The Workplace Wellness team should include individuals who will be part of creating the Workplace Wellness Programme and policy. This creates ownership of the wellness initiative and will produce more innovative ideas. A health promotion team will develop a Wellness Programme that is responsive to all participant needs, and will be responsible for managing all of the company’s health promotion efforts.
The committee encourages the continued support from management. This will play a key role in ensuring that the programme is a success. All participants are typically provided with training and guidance to perform the required duties, i.e. understanding of employee wellness and the role it has in the organisation. The committee has the important responsibility for establishing the vision, mission and objectives of the committee itself and its role within an organisation.
- POLICY
Establish a policy; this is the most important part, because this will contain the operational plan of how the programme will operate.
Once your wellness team is in place and management is on board, it is time to gather baseline information to help assess staff wellness interests and health risks. The results of the data collection will assist you in what kind of wellness of wellness initiatives to provide.
For your Workplace Wellness Programme to work, you must have a goal. A yearly operating plan should include a mission statement for the health promotion programme, in addition to specific, measurable short- and long-term goals and objectives. The Wellness Programme is more likely to be successful if it is linked to one or more of the organisation’s strategic plans, as it will have a better chance of retaining the support of the powers that be throughout the implementation process.
The most important part of the implementation process is the policy creation, which includes the operational plan. The committee will develop a policy on the Employee Wellness Programme with a policy owner, custodian and responsible person. The policy will include an executive summary with the programmes details, along with the policy aim and scope. In other words, what will the focus be of the policy as well as who is responsible for the document management and change control. It will explain the approach of the policy meaning that the wellness committee will be held accountable for the overall implementation and monitoring of compliance to the policy to ensure that all services are available as depicted.