Wellness Programs - Form a Wellness Committee .

Establishing an active Wellness Committee provides opportunities for both management and staff member involvement in the program.  The Committee must be a team of workers and managers who formally meet to plan activities to promote healthier staff member lifestyles.

Typical Functions of a Wellness Committee -

• Investigating needs and interests

• Brainstorming program ideas

• Planning activities

• Developing communication plans

• Promoting programs to colleagues

• Serving as champions of the Wellness Programs

• Helping with evaluation  

Your Wellness Committee must be representative of all levels of the company.  Consider all areas of the workforce - multiple sites, shift staff members, diversity (race, gender, ethnicity), and departments.  

It’s also important to consider who’ll chair or co-chair the Wellness Committee and whether or not there are the finances to support a wellness manager or occupational health expert, even on a part-time or contractual basis.  Click here for more information on the advantages of a health expert.  

Depending on your corporation size and resources, if you already have a corporation Safety Committee you may want to consider making it the Safety and Wellness Committee.  You can request volunteers or invite staff members to participate.  

The number of Wellness Committee members depends on the size of your company; nonetheless, you need enough members to get the work done and yet not too many to keep it manageable, normally a minimum of 4 members and maximum of 12 to 15 members.  

It’s important to include skeptics of wellness as well and not just those employees already practicing healthful lifestyles.  

Depending on your worksite, consider representatives from the following areas -

• Staff Member representatives from a cross section of different departments,

• Management/leadership,

• Health and safety expert(s),

• Human resources  professional(s),

• Benefits staff or someone from finance,

• Your employee assistance program (EAP) provider (if applicable), Click here for additional information on EAPs

• Medical or occupational health staff (if applicable).

Establish an effective Wellness Committee!  the Wellness Committee should meet regularly with a planned agenda and action items.  Successful Wellness Committees have a shared mission, vision and goals.  

Members need to believe that their participation is worthwhile and appreciated, that their work is important, benefits the organization and peers, and they are recognized for their contributions. Refer to the NC Workplace Programs section for instances of what other corporations have implemented.