Kicking Off a Wellness Program
Is your company looking to kick off a wellness program for 2024?
The most essential part of launching a wellness program or ramping up your existing one is COMMUNICATION.
An effective communication plan delivers the right message at the right time, to the right audience, and from the right sender. An empowered communication plan will also offer information about the current state and the reason behind the new project or change. Once the current state is understood and employees see the reason for the change, they will be more on board with the new project and interested in getting involved with the upcoming change.
Implementing A New Program
Answer the Questions Employees Will Have
Crafting the perfect message about a new change can be daunting. When we take the time to prepare a communications strategy about a new change, then we’ll have a higher likelihood of succeeding in that change. One of the first keys to a successful communications plan is answering the “why.”
All too often, senior leaders will kick off a program and then move on to the next one. We know that the more our senior leaders are active throughout the change, the more successful it will be. We also know our team needs to hear from their own leaders to internalize the message. When we first communicate the “why” about a change, using suitable senders/receivers, the success rate skyrockets. Six times, actually! When we start a communications plan about a health and wellness program, this is what we need to lead with:
Key Questions That Need to Be Answered in The Beginning Phase of the Program
Why are we implementing a Wellness Program?
What are the disadvantages of not implementing a wellness program?
What is in it for me?
How will I be impacted?
How will my team be impacted?
Start Soon
When communicating a new initiative, like a wellness program, the first communication should come early and from senior leaders. Successful changes need to have the senior leaders be active and engaged. This should take place before the program is implemented. Let the employees know what is coming and why a wellness program is good for the business, give them a chance to participate, and let them opt in to support the program. Early communication about a new program allows you to take control of the information circulating in your organization and create a positive culture around it. This way, when you launch the wellness program, the employees will already have the information they need to join the new program. This also prevents the wellness program team from becoming overwhelmed with miscommunication and falling behind in implementing the program.
Preferred Sender
There are two preferred senders when it comes to implementing a new program. When we look at the business reasons for implementing the wellness program and change, employees want to hear from the senior leaders authorizing and funding the project. Employees want to understand why the company is taking on this initiative and why it matters. When the project concerns the person of impact, like a wellness program, the employees want to hear from their immediate supervisor. Therefore, for the wellness program to have the most significant impact, the employees need to hear the message from both levels of leadership.
Communicate More Often
When launching a new program, employees may not see or hear the intended message of a wellness program for the first time. Therefore, they may not be on board with getting involved right away. That is why it is crucial to repeat communications more than once. Research shows that we need to communicate the key messages at least 5 to 7 times so they can be digested and effective. Communicating a new program is a process, not an event. The communication of a program must come not only often but from different communication channels and modes.
After the successful rollout of an effective wellness program, the communications for an event of the wellness program become a little simpler but must be ongoing. You don’t want to lose the senior-level leadership and support of the program. However, they don’t have to be as involved in every event communication. Each event, such as a wellness challenge or presentation, should have its own communication plan to execute and make the event successful.
Looking for more support in launching or running your wellness program? Book a discovery call with us today to see how we can support your 2024 goals!
