4 big plusses
Here are four reasons why all employers that are serious about improving workers’ health should have a wellness committee in place, courtesy of The Bailey Group, a benefits service and advisory firm:
1. It makes it easier to get employee buy-in. When a wellness program is something that is entirely under the control of upper management, employees may be skeptical of the company’s motives.
But when there’s a committee that represents all employee groups, your program is much more likely to get workers on board right from the start.
2. It enables the company to tailor the program to a more diverse group. Not only does every company have its own culture, it generally has a series of subcultures, too.
A well-represented committee ensures that wellness initiatives don’t favor certain workers or departments, and leave others out. Added bonus: In many cases, it can help management understand some of the company’s subcultures.
3. It gives you a number of different perspectives. A CFO’s idea of what a comprehensive wellness program should include is probably a little different than, say, a rank-and-file worker.
By taking all the different perspectives into consideration, you’re more likely to put together a program that has something for everybody.
4. It’s a great recognition tool. Savvy employers use their wellness committee to reward deserving employees.
Example: Letting a hard-working staffer with no management experience represent his or her entire department encourages advancement within the company.
Who to include
Deciding on the exact size of your wellness committee is a critical step. If the committee has too many members, it can be difficult to get a consensus.
If the committee is too small, you run the risk of piling too much work on those involved. Plus, you probably won’t be able to accurately voice the goals of the entire company.
Obviously, the size of the committee will depend on the size of your company.
But you’ll generally want to include some members of management and upper management – as well as representatives from each department or division of your company.
