14 Feb
Most wellbeing programs start off as an idea. The CEO or HR manager decides that it’s time to implement a wellbeing program. They give the task to you (or one of your colleagues). It’s usually well intended but even so, it’s important that you understand WHY your organisation wants to implement a wellbeing program.
Once that is clear, you sit down and start planning – but what should you include? You might start doing some research on what is available e.g.: massage, fruit, walking clubs, laughter yoga (we provide all of these), stress-management, resilience – but which do you choose?
You can also have a staff survey you can refer to. But both still leave you largely in the dark – what is it that people really want, need and will improve their wellbeing.
Experience will help you choose the right ingredients, but all of these methods still don’t guarantee the commitment of the most important person for your wellbeing program – the end users.
More importantly, the program you devise is all the responsibility of the organisation – ultimately that’s you. Wellbeing is affected by our workplaces, but it’s also affected by our personal lives, habits, and make-up. It’s the responsibility of both the individual and workplace. How do you make that happen?
The answer to personal commitment and a wellbeing program is simple: Ask your staff to come up with their own wellbeing plan FIRST and then devise the organisation’s wellbeing program. That way you’ll include exactly the interventions that are needed, and you’ll get staff buy-in. It’s change management 101.
Most wellbeing providers don’t tell you about this because:
They come from a wellbeing background but have no experience in organisational development.
They don’t care because they are there to sell you ‘wellbeing products’.
So the secret: Start with individuals and devise the organisational program from that base – NOT the other way around.
How do you do that without getting overwhelmed by all the information? Give us a call and we’ll happily share our experience. We have a range of templates and advice we can give you. An initial consultation is free.
