Starting a Health Promotion Committee

A representative Health Promotion Committee is a cornerstone of a successful Corporate Wellness Program, regardless of the size of the organization.

Membership of your Health Promotion Committee

Aim for a committee of a manageable size (no more than 15 members, depending on your organization’s size). Your Health Promotion Committee should represent all employee groups (e.g., full-time and part-time workers, managers and front-line employees, salary and hourly workers, union representation, Human Resources, marketing or communications, legal, and occupational health/safety).

Here are some additional considerations:

• Health Promotion Committee members can be selected by leadership or can be selected from among volunteers.
• Determine in advance how long Health Promotion Committee members will support and how new members will be selected. Balance the need for continuity with the need to bring fresh ideas and energy to your organization’s Corporate Wellness Program.
• It’s not necessary, or even desirable, to have your healthiest workers on the Health Promotion Committee. Ideal Health Promotion Committee members are those who best can represent their peers, motivate others and support the implementation of the Corporate Wellness Program.
• Consider providing an incentive or recognition to Health Promotion Committee members. It legitimizes their positions and encourages participation. Some organizations that have implemented stipends have generated enough worker interest that the selection of Health Promotion Committee membership becomes a competitive process. The Health Promotion Committee responsibilities become a formal part of the member’s job accountabilities.

Role of your Health Promotion Committee

In some organizations the Health Promotion Committee is responsible for the implementation of the Corporate Wellness Program. In other organizations, the Health Promotion Committee plays an advisory role. In either case, the group members can be asked to:

• Attend regular meetings of the Health Promotion Committee.
• Help create a vision and name for the organization’s Corporate Wellness Program.
• Represent their peers by sharing ideas, needs, concerns and feedback from their work areas and colleagues about proposed Corporate Health Promotion Plan Strategies, policies, and programs.
• Make available feedback on the possible barriers to proposed Corporate Health Promotion Plan Strategies and offer suggestions for addressing those barriers (e.g., how does a proposed policy fit with the schedules of workers?).
• Suggest effective Corporate Health Promotion Plan communication Strategies and solutions to challenges. For example, what is the best way to communicate with workers who work the third shift? How will workers react to a proposed message from upper management?
• Be a voice of support for a culture of wellness, carrying the message from the Health Promotion Committee to their work areas and colleagues.

Functioning of your Health Promotion Committee

Meet. Schedule regular Health Promotion Committee meetings on paid work time. Your Health Promotion Committee may want to meet very often at first, then slightly less often as your health improvement strategy is more established. If your Health Promotion Committee is new, it might be useful to ask members to provide information about themselves and their interests.

Communicate. Set up frequent and regular channels of communication with Health Promotion Committee members so they are up to date and engaged. An email list is often the easiest way to do this. Encourage communication to flow both ways: from Corporate Health Promotion Plan coordinator to members and from members to coordinator.

Check-in. At least once a year, assess how effectively the Health Promotion Committee is functioning. Is the Health Promotion Committee serving its original purpose? Ask committee members for their feedback. Do they feel like their work is making a difference? Do they feel like their input is valued and taken into account when planning and implementing initiatives? Do they understand their expected Corporate Health Promotion Plan roles and responsibilities? Are there members who want to rotate off of the committee? How will new members be selected?