Support for HR is Good for Your Company's Health

The importance of support cannot be stressed enough. When you look at a business, what do you see? You see a team of people. These people are strategically placed into positions to support each other and to support the business. Their job descriptions are written to make sure that each person can help another person from one end of the company to the other.

This seems to work well as businesses all over the country continue to grow and become more and more profitable. The reason this has worked is the fact that the core products and services will always get delivered. The better the support system in place, the better the product or service will be.

Human Resources is an area that needs more support. When it comes to wellness, HR seems to be the one in charge. This isn’t a problem in itself, but without a support system in place, it doesn’t take long for problems to appear. Let’s take a look at the biggest problems I see when HR doesn’t have the support it needs for a wellness program.

Problem #1 – Slow Start

It’s hard to get something started when you are too busy. It’s also hard to get something started when you are unsure what steps you should take. HR professionals often find themselves asking the following questions:

1. When do I have time to do this?
2. What do I do when I am able to do dedicate some time

These questions are difficult to answer and unfortunately the answers are tough enough to find causing things to remain where they are. In many cases that means they don’t do anything.

Problem #2 – Quiet Program

It may be hard to get started, but it is also hard to get the word out if people are unsure about what is taking place. One of the challenges with promoting a program is the access to the message. If your HR person or department is only able to address employees for a few minutes at a time, every few months, you won’t get much excitement generated. At the same time, with limited publicity, excitement isn’t the only challenge. Awareness, which you need before excitement is even considered, is lacking.

Problem #3 – Short Program

It is one thing to roll something out with little time and communication. It’s another thing to keep that initiative going. When a wellness initiative gets off to a slow start, it doesn’t usually take very long for it to disappear. If it is so quiet that many employees aren’t aware, it will not last very long. If employees don’t know about it and don’t hear much about it, not only can they not participate, but the initiative itself cannot continue.

This is only the big 3 of problems that HR professionals will run into when it comes to wellness. These are not the only problems, but they are the back-breakers to a wellness initiative. Clearly they are enough to bring any good idea to a screeching halt. Before that happens, let’s take a look at the solutions to these problems.

Solution #1 – Clear and Detailed Plan

A slow start doesn’t have to be a negative thing. As long as you have a plan for specific options next month, you don’t have to do too much this month. In fact, a plan allows you to distribute announcements, events and activities strategically throughout the year so there is never a lull or a chance for things to fall flat.

The most important factor here is the start. When you are creating a wellness initiative, you have to use your plan to determine the structure of the program. As long as the structure is there, that is what you will use to get the ball rolling and generate the initial awareness that you need to get things started. As you continue to communicate that message, enthusiasm follows and wellness continues.

When this plan is integrated into your company, your people will be healthier.

Solution#2 – Frequent and Consistent Communication

A quiet program is not a program that many people are going to use. This is a good opportunity to clarify the difference between a program and an initiative or activity. A program is ongoing. A program is something that you have a plan and schedule for. An initiative or activity is a one-time thing that may or may not ever be done again.

Employees know the difference between the two. If your company is just putting out ideas for activities, they will respond accordingly and only take it as seriously as the company does. If there is a detailed plan and consistent communication, they will take part and you will see the results you are looking for.

Communication is the key to differentiating your program. A central platform that always sends a message that wellness is part of the company. This is the best way to put the integration of your plan into action.

Solution #3 – Long-term Execution

The challenge of a program fizzling and going away is solvable. It is possible to keep wellness alive indefinitely. The first two solutions allow your company to get a clear plan in place and to communicate that plan. The next step is to focus on the long run. It’s not enough to get people excited about their health for a week, month or even a year. Health is a lifetime commitment. Employee health is going to impact your company for as long as you have people working for you. Therefore, wellness is going to make a positive impact on your employees and company for as long as you have a plan in place.
It sounds simple, but the key to remember is that it is easy to try something and give up if it is not working. Why do you think so many people are struggling to live healthy in the first place? Just as it is a challenge for a person to change their lifestyle, it is a challenge for a company to initiate a new culture. That is why employees need the support of their company.

Employees aren’t the only ones that need support. HR is supposed to start, plan and communicate wellness to employees. They are expected to come up with ideas, implement them and make sure that people are excited about it. This is a tall order and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

By following the 3 solutions above, the 3 problems become a non-issue. I’ve seen it work and I believe the formula is simple:

Support is the key to success in wellness. Just as employees need support to improve their own health, HR needs support to make wellness work in a company.