Corporate Wellness Program: Gaining Upper Management Support

Strong and visible upper management support for the Corporate Health Promotion Plan encourages health and is vital to securing required Corporate Health Promotion Plan resources (staff, time, and money) and implementing recommended changes.

1. Establish a Corporate Health Promotion Plan champion

In a small organization, there may be a single leader who is the clear choice to champion the Corporate Wellness Program. In a larger organization, look for an executive with the authority to sway others in the uppermost levels of the organization regarding the Corporate Wellness Program. The Corporate Health Promotion Plan champion need not be the fittest member of upper management. Rather, look for a Corporate Health Promotion Plan leader with the disposition to be a visible and vocal supporter of worksite policies that encourage healthy behaviors. Organizations with multiple sites can consider whether it would be useful to have an executive Corporate Health Promotion Plan champion at each site.

2. Find existing Corporate Health Promotion Plan allies

There may already be a number of individuals within your organization who recognize the value of a Corporate Wellness Program. Think about who those individuals are in your organization; consider areas such as occupational safety, union representatives, risk management, health officers, and human resources when looking for a Corporate Health Promotion Plan ally. Capture their stated support for the Corporate Wellness Program. Corporate Health Promotion Plan support could include contributions of staff time or expertise, financial resources, agreement to endorse/support policy and environmental changes, or agreement to participate in, and voice their support for, changes in the worksite that will help to build a culture of wellness.

3. Build a business case for the Corporate Health Promotion Plan

There is a reason that more and more employers are finding a way to promote employee health via a Corporate Health Promotion Plan and policies: A Corporate Health Promotion Plan makes good business sense. employees with healthy behaviors, on average, are more productive when at work (higher presenteeism)1 and incur lower medical care costs than workers with less healthy behaviors.2,3  As a result it would be foolish not to have a Corporate Wellness Program.

4. When developing a Corporate Health Promotion Plan use what you know about leadership styles and the decision-making process within your organization

Every organization is different. Build upper management support for the Corporate Health Promotion Plan in the way that makes the most sense for your organization. Think about the following as you plan how to approach upper management for Corporate Health Promotion Plan support:

• What are the current priorities and pressures facing executives? How could a Corporate Health Promotion Plan and a healthier workforce support those priorities?
• How do the leaders rather receive data: written documents? verbal presentations?
• What types of Corporate Health Promotion Plan information are likely to sway decisions? Do they want data and Corporate Health Promotion Plan statistics specific to your organization, or are state or national data sufficient? Are the leaders more influenced by internal factors or by what competitors are doing?
• Who would the leaders see as a reliable messenger for this Corporate Health Promotion Plan information? Does someone from the risk management area carry more clout than someone from the human resources area?
• How do decisions really get made in your organization? Informal committee meetings? Formal or informal meetings between executives? Plan accordingly and you improve the odds that the Corporate Health Promotion Plan will become a reality.

5. Maintain Corporate Health Promotion Plan support once you have it

Once you have appropriate Corporate Health Promotion Plan support, ensure that you maintain it by regularly updating the leaders on employee health and progress toward creating a culture that encourages health. Ask upper management how often they want to receive Corporate Health Promotion Plan progress reports.

Source Information:
1 Bunn, JOEM, 2006, 48:10.
2 Foldes, Bland, An et al. Modifiable Health Risks and Short-Term Health Care Costs. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota internal research, submitted for publication.
3 Anderson, 2000, American Journal of Health Promotion, 15:1.