Establishing a Wellness Committee
Establishing a wellness committee does not have to be a difficult task. Establishing a wellness committee is however a very important aspect of wellness programs.
Why Have a Wellness Committee?
Here’s why – employee involvement is vital to the success of any wellness program.
As a result it only makes sense to involve employees in the wellness program planning process. Therefore, a wellness committee should be formed as early in the process as possible.
The wellness committee should include potential wellness program participants; individuals who may have a role in program implementation or evaluation (e.g., middle managers who directly control employee schedules or who have great influence on upper management, someone familiar with budgeting, the person responsible for contracting with outside vendors, etc.); and someone to represent management (if not already included in one of the above groups).
Very small businesses may not need a wellness committee but will need someone to champion the activities.
The wellness committee serves several functions. First, an employee-driven advisory board encourages “buy-in” from both management and potential program participants. Second, a representative planning committee will help assure that the program is responsive to the needs of all potential participants. And third, the committee can be responsible for carrying out or overseeing the rest of the steps in the planning process.
Click here to go to the next section of the Guide to Worksite Wellness Programs: Assess Employee Needs and Interests