Workplace Wellness: Employee Feedback (and some Corporate Catering) a Key to Your Success
Posted by Amelia K. on Thursday, November 13th, 2014 with Comments Off on Workplace Wellness: Employee Feedback (and some Corporate Catering) a Key to Your Success Comments
As you may have already realized, implementing a workplace wellness program at your office doesn’t automatically mean that yours will be successful. The best programs go beyond just offering a yoga class here and there – they understand the activity level, concerns, and interest of employees, and build a full scale company culture around it. Think of your wellness program as a long-term investment in your staff’s health that can also have a serious impact on your health care costs – and your company’s bottom line. The more strategy and planning you put into your workplace wellness series, the more effective it will be for your employees, and the better it will be for your business over the long haul.
One of the best ways to start your program off on the right foot is to get employee feedback on how this would work best at your company – and what it would need to look like for them to really get excited about participating. Throughout each month, you should continue to get employee feedback on how the program is going for them, how to improve it and to use s an outlet for encouraging them to continue to participate. So if you’re ready to take your wellness program to the next level by really understanding what will best help your employees to participate, where should you even start? We’ve pulled together the a short guide to help you find the best ways to do just that.
Choosing some of your staff that is extra excited about your programming to serve as ambassadors can help engage more of your team and spread excitement about what the program offers.
Image source: Flickr user kevin dooley
Start Strong
When you’re ready to start a program at your office, start by getting feedback from your team. Send out a confidential email survey to find out what types of activities they’re interested in and how they’d be best encouraged to participate in your program. This will help you to find the right kinds of exercise opportunities to reach the biggest group of individuals in your office, as well as how you can encourage your team to continue getting active in the program over time. Finding out if they are more likely to get active on their own or with a partner for support can help you to determine whether having your staff team up as a way to stay motivated and increase engagement.
Another way to gauge interest and learn more about how to best implement a wellness series is to host a lunchtime roundtable. Depending on your company’s size, you can offer a limited number of spots for the event where participants will be encouraged to share their own concerns, get their questions answered, and help you better understand what will work best to increase participation throughout the year – all while sharing a healthy catered lunch that shows your appreciation for their efforts and time.
Program Ambassadors
Many great community organizations start an ambassador program to spread the word and generate excitement about how they benefit a local area. As you start to unveil your program internally, look for individuals who are extra excited about participating – these are the people who would make great internal ambassadors to encourage more engagement among other employees. Hold a special kickoff lunch and learn to teach your ambassadors what the program is all about and what things they can expect over the coming months. Educating them about what you’ll be rolling out in the future will encourage them to naturally start talking to other employees about it and help spread the word in a highly positive fashion.
Send out a monthly email that includes tips for how to start and facilitate conversations about the program, and common questions that have been asked by employees around the company. This will give them the tools they need to help you manage the program from a grassroots level. Offering a monthly incentive, like a drawing for a coffee gift card or bringing in a monthly catered lunch, will also give ambassadors a chance to share the challenges they’ve encountered and their success in spreading the word about the program. Finally, give ambassadors a special shirt to wear once a week or a pin they can wear during the lunch hour so that other staff members can easily identify who they can go to with questions or for help navigating the program.
Monthly Check-Ins
Staying connected with your team throughout each month of your wellness program will help you stay abreast of any concerns your employees have, whether they’re enjoying what the program offers and if they have any suggestions for additions or changes. This will help you learn where your program can be tweaked over time to make it more effective and engaging for your team – which is the ultimate goal. The easiest way to check in on a monthly basis is to send out a simple online survey that leaves your team room to add comments if they choose. By making these surveys anonymous, you’ll see a better – and more honest – response rate from your staff.
Additionally, bringing up the program during your regularly scheduled team meetings can be a way to start a conversation about how it’s going for each participant, which can help you further understand what people love about the program and what could be improved. Additionally, sharing all of the great attributes of participating with the team can be another way to encourage more of your staff to start getting engaged!
Building a Company Culture with Workplace Wellness
Starting a workplace wellness program is really the first step in building a company culture that embraces a healthier way of life. Continuing to work on integrating healthy living tips into your office and building engagement within the programming you offer can help everyone on your team not just make healthier choices, but truly integrate the things they learn through your wellness series into their life outside of their work.
As you’re building this new company culture, Waiter.com can handle all of your corporate catering needs, helping you to make your program an even bigger success. Your staff is sure to love everything that we bring in and we can even theme your catered meals towards a wellness-oriented company culture! Learn more about our corporate catering options today!
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