A Collaborative Approach to Wellness

Carrying out your wellness vision and developing a culture-focused wellness strategy requires support and collaboration from employees and stakeholders from all levels and areas of the organization. Take a moment to think about all of the people, departments, and touchpoints that impact the employee experience – these touchpoints could include the relationships with managers and co-workers, the onboarding of new employees, the learning and talent development available to employees, and company-wide initiatives such as community involvement or employee celebrations. Where do you see opportunity for collaboration at your organization, to infuse the wellness vision into all aspects of the employee experience?

As you identify your opportunities, ask yourself these questions:

Which departments could you reach out to for brainstorming or planning conversations?
What voices and perspectives should be represented in your collaboration efforts?
Can you think of anyone that should be invited to collaborate, that hasn’t been involved?
Who are key decision-makers in your organization that can help you further your collaborative effort?
Are there any individuals or departments who have goals that align with the overarching wellness vision?

For inspiration and ideas to consider, reflect on these example scenarios:

Example: Organize a Cross-Functional Team of Collaborators

A manufacturing company determined that supporting the social and emotional wellbeing of their employees is a critical component of their wellness vision. Their plans include: offering social events and activities to boost the sense of community and enhance manager and co-worker relationships, and providing ongoing recognition to showcase a wide variety of employee successes. In partnership with the Benefits team, a group of leaders from across different areas of the company are involved in creating the strategy to ensure the wellness vision is upheld: floor managers, Facilities, IT, Operations, Communications, and Finance are a few of the represented cross-functional team members that are included. They convene regularly to discuss and make wellness strategy decisions. The representation from all functions of the business offers varied insights and perspectives to the strategy and ensures an enhanced, system-wide approach for incorporating their wellness vision into the employee experience.

Check out how Goodwill NCW collaborates to support wellness

Example: Identify a Department that has Similar Goals

A large retail company had implemented several traditional wellness programs to influence wellbeing for their employees. Their engagement in these programs was not high so they set out to find a way to infuse wellbeing into the larger organizational strategy. The Wellness Manager began to assess other areas and departments who had goals that aligned with their wellness vision, and looked for opportunities to collaborate on their strategy. It was recognized that the Talent Development team’s vision and goals were in alignment with the wellness vision. These teams partnered to work together and build wellbeing into the employee and leader development curriculum. While employees learn and improve professional and leadership skills, they are also offered opportunities to support their growth and fulfillment in many dimensions of their own wellbeing.

Example: Integrate Wellness within a Company-wide Initiative

In most organizations, employees represent many diverse and distinct backgrounds and experiences. Consider the opportunities within your organization, to integrate support of wellbeing into a company-wide initiative. Some organizations have Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which are employee-led groups that are formed based on specific traits or characteristics that group members possess, or shared life experiences. Do you have an initiative like this at your organization? If so, perhaps this is an opportunity to collaborate with the groups and find opportunities to further support wellbeing based on their needs and interests. Or, perhaps there’s an opportunity to collaborate to begin an ERG that is focused on wellbeing and provides an additional avenue for employees to foster connection and belonging at the organization. Collaborating with ERGs, or initiating an ERG, can offer valuable insight and perspectives to the wellness strategy.

Check out the Associate Resource Groups at Baird

How do you collaborate in support of wellness at your organization? What are some of your ideas to continue to evolve your collaborate and cooperative approach to enhance your wellness strategy?

Let's discuss how we can transform your organization's collaborative approach!

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Angeline Day, MPH, CHES

Program Manager

aday@wellnesscouncilwi.org

Learn more about me.