Wellness Articles

A representative Health Promotion Committee is a cornerstone of a successful Employee Health and Wellness Program, regardless of the size of the company.

Membership of your Health Promotion Committee

Aim for a committee of a manageable size (no more than 15 members, depending on your company’s size). Your Health Promotion Committee should represent all employee groups (e.g., full-time and part-time workers, managers and front-line staff, salary and hourly staff members, union representation, HR, 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 serve and how new members will be selected. Balance the need for continuity with the need to bring fresh ideas and energy to your company’s Employee Health and Wellness Program.
• It’s not important, 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 Employee Health and Wellness Program.
• Consider providing an incentive or recognition to Health Promotion Committee members. It legitimizes their positions and encourages participation. Some companys that have started 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 companys the Health Promotion Committee is responsible for the implementation of the Employee Health and Wellness Program. In other companys, 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 establish a vision and name for the company’s Employee Health and Wellness Program.
• Represent their peers by sharing ideas, needs, concerns and feedback from their work areas and colleagues about proposed Employee Health and Wellness Program Strategies, policies, and programs.
• Make available feedback on the possible barriers to proposed Employee Health and Wellness Program Strategies and offer suggestions for addressing those barriers (e.g., how does a proposed policy fit with the schedules of workers?).
• Suggest effective Employee Health and Wellness Program 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 health, 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 frequently 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 frequently the easiest way to do this. Encourage communication to flow both ways: from Employee Health and Wellness Program coordinator to members and from members to coordinator.

Check-in. At least once a year, evaluate 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 Employee Health and Wellness Program roles and responsibilities? Are there members who want to rotate off of the committee? How will new members be selected?