Posted by admin | Posted in Workplace Health Promotion | Posted on 29-12-2008
Collaboration and Effective Workplace Health Promotion Programs
Why should you collaborate?
Active, ongoing partnerships and cooperative efforts multiply Workplace Health Promotion Program resources in order to better serve Employees and their families.
How can you build collaboration into a Workplace Health Promotion Program?
Get Ready…
• Brainstorm a list of every potential Wellness partner you can think of. Be innovative!
• Be a politician: introduce yourself to everyone BEFORE you need their help.
• Develop a plan to get Upper Management support from as high up the chain as possible. Ensure that to include specific ways that your Workplace Health Promotion Program will impact force readiness.
• Determine how YOU can help your partners (not just what they can do for you).
Be Steady…
• Solicit input from everyone that your Workplace Health Promotion Program will affect. Make a special effort to talk to the workers closest to Workplace Health Promotion Program implementation (those with “boots on the ground”).
• The most frequently asked questions should be: “What would you suggest?” and “How do you think this would work best?”
• Identify someone who has done the same type of Workplace Health Promotion Program before and ask their advice. (Hint: the Workplace Health Promotion Program has a list of many Wellness POCs.)
• Plan NOW to show Workplace Health Promotion Program effectiveness. Identify who may ALREADY BE COLLECTING information that will show the Workplace Health Promotion Program is working.
Get Set…
• Step back and look at your Workplace Health Promotion Program from a potential partner’s point of view.
• Brainstorm questions your collaborators might have, and have the answers ready.
• Be ready to frame your “selling points” in terms that are important to each specific partner.
• Put the Workplace Health Promotion Program benefits in language your collaborators will understand.
• Emphasize to potential partners how this Workplace Health Promotion Program will provide benefit to them.
And Go…
• Build as many partnerships as you can BEFORE you implement a Workplace Health Promotion Program.
• Make your partnerships a two-way street: always let your collaborators know what you can do for them – then follow-up and do what you say you would do.
• Maintain Upper Management support by providing a regular flow of information. Invite Upper Management participation in the Workplace Health Promotion Program and special events whenever possible. (Hint: they make great judges if you have a contest.)
• Provide regular feedback to your collaborators.
• Don’t hog the spotlight: let your collaborators share in the visibility of the Workplace Health Promotion Program.
