The purpose of completing the assessment is to identify your worksite’s strengths and areas in need of improvement. The assessment will lead your workgroup to recommend actions for changes to make the worksite more supportive of healthy behaviors (i.e. healthy food choices in snack machines, policies to enforce no tobacco use on worksite grounds or encouraging walking during break times). You may find some of the actions for supporting healthy behaviors are easy to do and others may not be feasible or efficient in your worksite. The assessment results can also be used as a baseline measure for evaluation. The initial assessment can later be compared with a follow-up assessment several months later to note progress.

Who should do the Corporate Wellness Plan Environment Assessment?

Establish a workgroup (at least 4-5 individuals) who will be accountable for completing the assessment. This may be a subset of your wellness workgroup. Forming a diverse group from all areas and levels of your corporation is important for meaningful assessment and successful planning and implementation. Suggested participants include: human resources, workers from various departments, administrators, supervisors, worker or wellness staff.

When should the Corporate Wellness Plan Environment Assessment be Done?

Use the assessment as a starting point for your Corporate Wellness Program. Once you have completed the assessment, determine which areas the workgroup will focus on (i.e. healthy eating, physical activity, general health, etc.). Establish a time for the workgroup to meet and monitor the progress. Also determine a schedule for annual assessments, so that the assessment can serve as a tool for continuous improvement and accountability over time.

Part 1 – Corporate Wellness Plan Assessment Checklist

Complete a Worksite Wellness Assessment Checklist to determine what wellness components you currently have at your worksite. This can be done with the full workgroup or you may want a few key personnel (such as the Human Resources lead, Wellness Coordinator or Workgroup Coordinator) to do a preliminary scan based on information they gather and then let the full workgroup react to their findings. Ask your broker for a sample wellness assessment checklist or create your own.

Completion of the checklist provides a reference point of the wellness functions that are currently in place or in process and it provides an overview of some of the items that should be considered for a comprehensive Corporate Wellness Program.

Corporate Wellness Plan Checklist Components:

Categories. There are six major categories (General, Physical Activity, Nutrition, Health Screening, Tobacco Use and Emergency Response Plan). Each category has several questions that address what you currently have in place at your worksite.

Current Status. Initially, list whether you have the component (Yes), are in the process of instituting the component or you are planning for the component (In Process) or don’t have the component at all (No). At the end of each category, sub-total the number in each column and then total all of the categories at the end of the checklist to get an overview of where your worksite Corporate Wellness Plan currently rates. You should also use this baseline measure as a benchmark for later evaluation. By evaluating where your worksite is on each wellness component, you will be able to get a general idea of your status across each category and all 57 items.

Potential Priorities. After you have completed the assessment and the employee interest survey, you can use the potential priority column to indicate what components you might want to focus on that are either currently in process or don’t exist. This can serve as a first testing of possible areas to focus on as you develop your action plan.

Part 2: worker Input

Why would we want to do an employee survey?

You should conduct an employee survey to get a better understanding of your target audience (your corporation’s workers) and get an initial idea of their current health habits and interest areas. The survey can be tailored to your worksite and can be done in paper form or through the use of survey instruments on the internet or that can be purchased. You can create your own employee survey or ask your broker for a Workplace Wellness Needs and Interest Survey.

As was the case with the worksite environmental assessment, the employee survey results can also be used as a baseline measure for later evaluation. The initial survey results can later be compared with a follow-up survey several months later to note progress.

You should also consider engaging workers in focus groups or informal interviews to gather information on their wants and needs. This can be done either before or after the survey, or if you don’t have the resources to survey workers, you could use this method to gather information in place of the survey.

No matter what method you use to gather information, make it as easy as possible for workers to complete and submit the information so you get a high return rate. Look at offering an incentive or prize for individuals who complete the survey.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Information and statistics

• http://www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics/
• Information and statistics are available by topic (i.e., asthma, injuries, MRSA).
• Information access tools are available to customize data tables and query datasets (i.e., Healthy People DATA2010, tobacco use-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Costs).
• Nationwide survey data is available (i.e., National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)).

CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

• http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.htm
• BRFSS is the world’s largest, ongoing telephone health survey system. BRFSS has been tracking health conditions and risk behaviors in the US yearly since 1984.
• Chronic Disease Indicators are divided into seven categories: physical activity and nutrition, tobacco and alcohol use, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, overarching conditions, and other disease and risk factors.
• Prevalence data is also available (i.e., weight classification by Body Mass Index and age).

Medical Interns and Residents

• If your On-site Health Care Center has an internship Corporate Wellness Program, get to know the Internship Director.
• Make use of these resources – including having the Director and/or interns/residents begin the outcome data collection plan for your Corporate Wellness Program.

Local college and graduate students

• Where appropriate volunteer agreements are in place, use local college/graduate students to help collect, input, and analyze Corporate Wellness Plan data.
• Make use of the fact that these students are often looking for projects.
• If there are no “health-related” students/interns in your area, consider using corporation students. Let them calculate a cost avoidance or return on investment (ROI) for your Corporate Wellness Program.

Other Medical Personnel

• Partner with other Medical Personnel. Determine who is collecting data, what data they are collecting, and how they are collecting it.
• If they are using a survey and the survey administration process is already in place, ask if you can add a question or two.
• Be aware of other research going on at your facility. They may already be collecting data you need OR may have analysis resources that can be shared.
• Make sure other departments in the Medical center know you can always use some extra help if they have personnel with any down time. Use these resources for data entry or other administrative tasks.
• Make use of the volunteers to help collect and input data.

Past Corporate Wellness Plan participants

• Past Corporate Wellness Plan participants are also a good resource.
• They may be willing to lead a class session, provide encouragement to current Corporate Wellness Plan participants, or help collect data.
You can enhance data collection and analysis by taking advantage of local resources. Using these resources expands the reach and impact of your Corporate Wellness Program.

Manage Corporate Wellness Plan data electronically.

• Storing Corporate Wellness Plan outcomes data electronically is the best way to manage that information.
• An electronic system will enable you to review and analyze the data more efficiently.
• Scan old surveys and other Corporate Wellness Plan information that exist only on paper into .pdf format for permanent storage.

Find the Corporate Wellness Plan system that works best for you.
• Some individuals are more comfortable with spreadsheet applications; others rather work with database applications.
• You will be more likely to use a Corporate Wellness Plan that you are familiar and/or comfortable with.
• Standardize data collection and organization. Keep data columns/fields in the same order for all Corporate Wellness Programs.

Keep the Corporate Wellness Plan as simple as possible.

• You do not have to be a Wellness Programming wizard or use complicated data entry interfaces in order to manage Corporate Wellness Plan outcomes data.
• A simple spreadsheet is an excellent way to keep your data organized.

Store all Corporate Wellness Plan data numerically.

• Using numbers (instead of words) will make the data much easier to enter and analyze. By way of example: use “1” for yes; “0” for no OR “1” for male; “2” for female.
• Number survey responses that contain strings of words. By way of example: instead of entering the responses: “patient education videos”, “news,” or “no TV,” number the responses so you only have to enter “1,” “2,” or “3.”

Label all Corporate Wellness Plan data clearly.

• Make sure all the data columns, rows, or fields are labeled. The data is worthless if you don’t know what data is in which column.
• The spreadsheet/database should include an explanation for column, row, field, and data abbreviations and a key for numbered responses.

Use consistent Corporate Wellness Plan data units.

• Make sure all data entered into a given column is expressed with the same unit of measure. By way of example, enter all heights as total inches, not as a combination of feet and inches.
Putting your data in order by using a simple system that works for you will enable you to track participant accomplishments. Keeping your data organized also makes it easier to communicate Corporate Wellness Plan impact to leadership and make Corporate Wellness Plan improvements as needed.

Gap analysis can also be used for your Corporate Wellness Plan to determine where the program stands now and how the Corporate Wellness Plan can better follow evidence-based recommendations.

To begin a gap analysis, ask these simple questions about your Corporate Wellness Program:
• What is the current state of the Corporate Wellness Program?
• How does the Corporate Wellness Plan measure up to evidence-based practices? (i.e., the desired state)

The gap is the difference between the current and desired states.

After the gap has been identified, the next step is to determine the action steps that are needed to close the gap. These actions answer the question: “How can the Corporate Wellness Plan move forward towards the desired state?”

Sometimes the gaps that need to be filled can be addressed through Corporate Wellness Plan changes; other gaps might require policy changes. However, using a gap analysis will help you identify areas for Corporate Wellness Plan improvement as well as the actions needed to make progress towards those goals.

Timing: Corporate Wellness Plan Start-up

• Look at the optimal time to start a new Corporate Wellness Program. Take into account preferences of the target population and other factors that could affect enrollment and participation.
• By way of example, coordinating the start of an adult weight management initiative with the start of school in August or September may be a good tie-in with a “fresh start.”
• On the other hand, starting an adult weight management initiative In January may not be a great idea because of the constraints that weather may put on exercising outdoors.
• Make use of other timing cycles at your company. Planning a marketing blitz just after the PCS turnover has been completed is a good way to let new personnel know what Corporate Wellness Plan options are available.

Timing: Corporate Wellness Plan Participant Support

• Look at how frequently Corporate Wellness Plan sessions should be offered to provide the best support and education for participants and the best opportunity for success.
• Get feedback from participants regarding what session frequencies work best for them.
• Look at the timing for other support mechanisms like email encouragement. What timing of those messages will benefit participants most: Weekly? Bi-monthly? Monthly?

Timing: Corporate Wellness Plan Data Collection

• Collecting data is an excellent way to track participant progress and also to identify potential problems within a Corporate Wellness Program. So, give some thought to the frequency and timing of data collection.
• Select metrics that can realistically change during the Corporate Wellness Plan implementation time period. By way of example, BMI and weight may not change very much during a 10-week Corporate Wellness Program; however, step counts are more likely to noticeably change.
• Some data, such as participant responsiveness to out-of-class assignments (like food journals) and other interim data (like step counts) will provide important information needed to “adjust fire” as needed and make Corporate Wellness Plan changes if something is not working.
• Be flexible regarding data collection frequency. Instead of requiring that participants complete an physical fitness log every day, for example, consider asking for a “snapshot” summary from two or three days during the week. You will still get information to review, but participants will have an easier time complying with the assignment.

Timing: Corporate Wellness Plan Follow-up

• Because the we are such a mobile population, it’s best to plan some sort of post-Corporate Wellness Program follow-up data collection within two to four months after the Corporate Wellness Plan ends.
• You can always try to collect additional follow-up data at 6 or 12 months after Corporate Wellness Plan completion. However, if you collect the data sooner, you’ll at least have collected some short term Corporate Wellness Plan impact information before participants are lost to follow-up.

Why evaluate your Corporate Wellness Program?

Corporate Wellness Plan evaluation answers these questions:
• What change(s) occurred in the target population?
• ‘What’s in it’ for Upper Management?
• Are the resources that are being used worth the outcomes that are reached?
• Were Corporate Wellness Plan outcomes expected? (Unexpected outcomes may have occurred.)
• What Corporate Wellness Plan areas need improvement?

Corporate Wellness Plan Fact of Life:

Corporate Wellness Plan evaluation left to “chance” or until “there is time” will never happen.

• Corporate Wellness Plan evaluation should be considered as an essential part of the whole plan for Wellness and not as something extra.

Where do you start?

Make it Simple. Corporate Wellness Plan evaluation does not have to be complicated.
• Get baseline data.
• Baseline data is the health status of the target population at the beginning of the Corporate Wellness Program.
• Start by collecting just 3 or 4 primary items as the baseline. You will have better success collecting follow-up information later if you only need to get a few pieces of data.
• Don’t rely only on health indicators that require lab evaluation. Also use self-report information and health indicators that are measurable without lab tests.

• Collect data that relates to readiness.
• You should always be ready to communicate to leadership the ways that your Corporate Wellness Plan impacts readiness. Plan ahead to collect data that will demonstrate this connection.
• Think like Upper Management: what Corporate Wellness Plan outcomes will be important from Upper Management point of view?

• It’s never too late to incorporate Corporate Wellness Plan evaluation into Corporate Wellness Programs.
• If your Corporate Wellness Plan is already up and running and you didn’t plan for data collection ahead of time, start collecting data NOW.
• If you don’t have baseline data, then collect interim data and compare that to end-of-program data.
• Or, you can compare final Corporate Wellness Plan outcomes to similar initiatives elsewhere.

If you can’t make any comparisons to other data, use resources like The Community Guide (http://www.thecommunityguide.org/ ) that have already evaluated the effectiveness of Corporate Wellness Plan components. Compare the components of your Corporate Wellness Plan to those that have been proven effective elsewhere.

Strategic planning enables better use of all your resources. Include all the steps below when you plan a Wellness activity.
• Do your homework – Find the science and research that support your interventions. Look for similar Corporate Wellness Programs that already exist.
• Determine the specific health need(s) – Use these needs to target interventions to problems that are an issue for your population.
• Organize a team – A team is a resource multiplier. Network and build as many partnerships as you can.
• Make a plan, but don’t start completely from scratch. Make a written plan for your Corporate Wellness Program. Look for every opportunity to take advantage of resources that already exist. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
• Select a focus – Choose one or two main target areas for Corporate Wellness Programs. Address all five stages of change in the target areas rather than trying to hit every possible Wellness topic.
• Determine your resources – What assets do you have? What assets will you need? How can you fill the gaps?
• Get Upper Management support – Think like Upper Management. Communicate the value of Wellness from Upper Management’s perspective.
• Start the activity- Be flexible. Be prepared for unexpected challenges.
• Market the activity – Keep your Corporate Wellness Plan visible for Upper Management, line and medical personnel, Corporate Wellness Plan participants, and potential partners and volunteers.
• Collect and analyze outcomes – Outcomes indicate Corporate Wellness Plan impact. Start with just a few outcomes – you don’t have to collect everything. Remember that it’s never too late to start measuring Corporate Wellness Plan impact.
• Assess, improve and re-evaluate – Use participant feedback and Corporate Wellness Plan outcomes to determine Corporate Wellness Plan impact. Establish areas in need of improvement. Use outcomes to determine if expended resources were worth the results.

Getting feedback from Corporate Wellness Plan participants serves two purposes: to obtain data that quantifies a Wellness Program’s impact, and to find ways to improve a Corporate Wellness Program.

Building follow up into your Corporate Wellness Plan

Make it Simple
• Keep follow up to information you absolutely require. A three-question survey is more likely to get a response than one with 20 questions.
• Use email or phone for follow-up. Use personal and business email addresses; use cell phone and unit phone numbers.
• Go to the Employees: go to the unit or somewhere else they will all be gathered, and get follow up information there.
• Give participants a stamped envelope addressed to you, with a printed form listing the information you will need.

Make it structured
• Tell participants right from the beginning that you will be doing follow up after the Corporate Wellness Plan is finished. Be specific about the information you will collect.
• If you need to do hands-on measurements, find out if participants will be coming back to your location for another reason (like another clinic appointment). Ask them to stop by while they are in the building – or, better yet, go to where they will be.
• Ask participants where they will be the next time you will be collecting data. They may already know their next duty station if they will be PCSing soon.
• Plan ahead for follow up and put it on the schedule. Planning to do follow up “when you have time” usually means follow up will never get done.

Make it catchy
• Give participants something to go along with the request for information. By way of example, if you send an email to ask for information, send along a yummy recipe or a timely excercise tip.
• Schedule a ‘reunion’ day to collect follow up information. Invite participants to come back and share successes and challenges. Have some (healthy) munchies available.
• Have a silly contest – the team with the most follow up data wins something, like having their photos posted on a prominently-placed bulletin board or an eggplant trophy, or some other fun thing.

Creative marketing can increase awareness of your Corporate Wellness Plan for:
• Potential Corporate Wellness Plan participants
• Upper Management
• Line and medical personnel
• Potential partners and volunteers

Creative Corporate Wellness Plan marketing ideas

Involve Upper Management in your marketing Corporate Wellness Plan as often as possible.
• By way of example: invite Upper Management to judge a Corporate Wellness Plan logo contest.

Link your Corporate Wellness Programs to national advertising campaigns
• …like the Great American Smokeout and the Dairy Council’s Milk Mustache campaign.

Collaborate closely with personnel in the home office.
• Submit articles about your Corporate Wellness Programs that coincide with National Health Observances. By way of example: highlight your Asthma Program in May, which is National Asthma Awareness Month.
• Let the home office know you can always provide an article to them when they run short on material. (Then make sure you always follow through.)
Word of mouth is the most effective advertisement for your Corporate Wellness Plan
• Use real individuals in your advertising: enlist the help of successful Corporate Wellness Plan participants or use Employees and other post personnel for your marketing materials, when possible.
• Establish “buzz” by incorporating an element of competition: which ‘team’ had the most steps over the past week? Which department engaged most frequently in physical activity?
Make use of technology
• Use post television and radio resources.
• Use email whenever you can.
Don’t just market your Corporate Wellness Plan to potential participants, but market the opportunities for others to be involved, as well.
• By way of example: does the Red Cross know you can always use a volunteer? Do other departments/clinics know that you can always use personnel with some temporary down time?
Don’t be “old news”
• If you put advertising materials up, be sure to take them down in a timely manner.
• Update marketing logos and themes as appropriate.