1 Framework for the NB workplace wellness community of practice - - PDF document

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Framework for the NB workplace wellness community of practice outlines a comprehensive approach For the past year and a ½ members have been sharing resources, stories, learning and development opportunities, as well as recognizing and celebrating each others success all with the intention of creating and sustaining healthy workplaces within New Brunswick, together. Feedback from COP has been clear that members want more information about how to enable and support employee wellness practices and a safe work environment in pursuit of a healthy workplace culture within our organizations. 2

In response to your feedback we’ve created a Workplace Wellness Roadmap to help New Brunswick workplaces adopt a common planning approach based on the comprehensive framework. We have arranged the roadmap in order of the steps involved in a planning cycle. A model that includes steps is useful in identifying and describing each phase of what is in practice a dynamic, fluid, and evolving process. Each step continues throughout the process, as new experience and insights may lead to changes and enhancements. Also, each step is anticipated in previous steps—for example, decisions early in the process are made with some thoughts about later steps already in mind. The roadmap is intended to be adaptable to assist any organization at any phase in the process of developing and sustaining a wellness culture. The presentation will briefly describe each component of the roadmap and share the next steps of the journey for our community of practice. 3

Preparing for the change ahead applies to organizations that are planning workplace wellness activities for the first time as well organizations that are enhancing existing

• initiatives. Using change strategies will assist all parts of your organization to

successfully transition from the current to future state and transform your culture in the process. Organizations don’t change, people do. A change management process must engage all stakeholders and support imbedding wellness into the organization. So focusing on the new change at the start of your planning and continuing to help people adapt to the change until it becomes part of your culture means you will have a 75% chance of

• success. In comparison, if you do not plan for and address the change ahead your

initiatives will only have a 17% chance of success. To begin, you need to determine the necessary steps to help your people and your

• rganization move through three phases from creating the climate for change to

engaging and enabling change and finally implementing and sustaining the change. Your strategies could be simple or complex as you move from ‘how we do things now’ and through the transition toward the ‘new way we do things’. For example; one approach could include a champion meeting and talking to staff in person about the change ahead, staff participating in working groups, getting feedback directly from staff in focus groups and celebrating your successes with a walk event for all staff another approach could include using formal memos or videos messages to 4

explain why the changed is needed, conducting staff surveys to obtain information and feedback and celebrating a successful transition with a formal recognition event. Both approaches will involve your employees at all phases and will help you achieve results. How you approach your change plan depends on your capacity and the resources available to you. Leading and managing change is an important part of the roadmap toward effective and sustainable workplace wellness. If you are interested in exploring further how you can facilitate change, there is a large amount of information, tools, and resources available from credible sources such as John P Kotter and Prosci. All of this information is transferrable to your wellness journey. As well, the Graham Lowe Group has many resources on creating healthy organizations using change strategies. Links to this information will be available on the website for the Community of Practice as part of the Roadmap when posted. 4

In order to begin the process of workplace wellness planning, it is important that all levels of the organization support the concept. Key organizational “players” who need to support the program are: senior management/owners; unions, employee associations; employees; other key stakeholders, such as occupational health and safety, human resources, employee benefits, or training and development departments. The goal is to gain enough support to establish a workplace committee, to undertake a situational assessment and to develop a program plan. The situational assessment provides a clearer picture of the organizational and employee needs and interests and will inform the planning and decision making. Once the information is gathered and a plan is developed, re-affirm management support. Obtaining support twice will ensure the efforts are maintained and sustained. To ensure the longevity and success of your program, you must show leaders a clear and compelling connection between the health of your employees and your company’s

• verall business goals. Profitability is an extremely important goal of any business, and

it can be tied directly to employee health because “people produce profit.” While profitability is always a core business objective, it is often not the sole objective. Your 5

company may offer wellness and other benefits to employees simply because it is the right thing to do. It may be helpful to present these arguments for the workplace wellness program to middle managers, who spend more time interacting directly with employees, so they understand that employee health is a goal in its own right. These non-monetary objectives can be aligned with and incorporated into core business

• bjectives by adding specific goals about employee health into the organization’s overall

mission and vision statements. Often, obtaining management and labour support begins with the business case. Understanding the financial and human ‘costs of doing nothing’ to support employee well-being is essential to helping organizations develop an action plan for improving employee well-being, and in turn, the business’ bottom line. Developing a business case is one way to urge the organization to create a workplace wellness plan. A business case can include the benefits to management and statistics related to benefits and costs, due diligence and legal requirements, and reasons why it will benefit employees. Often, examples from organizations with successful programs are also given. When creating a business case, organizations can use a combination of pre-existing research and the organization’s own figures, such as injury, disability and turnover rates, drug usage and absenteeism, engagement and job satisfaction. Also the organization should consider the organizational culture of the workplace, specifically the policies and procedures that support or hinder employee well-being. Creating linkages between the research that has already been done and the organizational data demonstrates the benefits to promoting wellness in the workplace. Organizations should set aside enough time to make a strong case, as gathering the necessary data can be time intensive. References: https://playbook.heart.org/index.php/connect-programs-and-policies-to-business- goals/ http://wmhp.cmhaontario.ca/comprehensive-workplace-health-promotion-affecting- mental-health-in-the-workplace 5

Creating an employee -led workplace committee is an important step in planning and implementing a workplace wellness program. This could be the formation of a new committee within the organization or it could be a sub-committee of an already established committee structure such as workplace joint health and safety committees. Healthy workplace committees lead to higher employee engagement, which in turn improves productivity and loyalty to the organization. Engagement can be heightened in many ways, such as by involving the whole staff in decision-making, communicating the management’s vision for the future and by creating time for positive social interactions between staff. Members of the committee should be representatives of a number of stakeholders in the organization, such as front-line workers, senior management, union representatives and occupational health and safety representatives. When developing programming focused on employee well-being, bring in interested and available members from across the organization. It is important to value and recognize employees with and without expertise in wellness. Further, as many employees as possible should be made aware of and given an opportunity to be involved with the program planning process. With the committee in place, involving them in establishing a clear vision and plan for your workplace wellness program will help you develop and guide the program, and will help your employees understand why you are implementing the program. To start, it is important to develop a workplace wellness mission and vision statement for your 6

• rganization that is specific to the needs and goals of your company. It can help provide

purpose and meaning to the program, give it direction and act as a foundation from which the program can grow. Also creating a specific vision for the committee, as key stakeholders in helping to realize the company’s goals, will in turn provide a purpose and meaning to their contribution, give them direction and facilitate their continued leadership and engagement in your company’s vision for workplace wellness References: http://wmhp.cmhaontario.ca/comprehensive-workplace-health-promotion-affecting- mental-health-in-the-workplace https://playbook.heart.org/ 6

Organizations commonly try to identify solutions or develop programs without first understanding the priorities and needs within the organization or the barriers and real issues affecting employee’s experiences at work. This step involves gathering, analyzing, communicating and discussing relevant information that provides a meaningful picture of wellness in your organization. Through this process you will determine whether you have enough relevant

• rganizational information to see gaps between where you are now and where you

want to be. Having a better understanding of your current environment from different perspectives will help you make planning decisions about your wellness goals, objectives, audiences, strategies and activities. By looking at existing data you can identify what information gaps you want to fill and then decide on the type and the number of assessment methods you will use. Consider surveys, or other ways of directly involving employees such as focused discussions or information interviews. As part of preparing for the change ahead it’s important to measure employee and

• rganizational readiness for change. Organizations vary in their degree of awareness,

willingness and capacity to commit to comprehensive workplace wellness. Understanding the factors that may facilitate or delay action in your organization can 7

help you plan for potential obstacles. Gathering information about how prepared and able employees are for change will help guide how you approach and communicate your planning activities. You may also find, that by looking at existing data, you actually have enough information to make informed decisions about your workplace culture, safe work environment and employee wellness practices. A survey or other assessment tools may not be necessary. Once you have gathered the right information, summarize your results and use them to move forward with your planning by setting goals and objectives. Additional Notes: Potential sources of relevant organizational information include; Stakeholder opinions on both personal and organizational needs and priorities Existing mandate, vision and mission statements Existing reports and documents on: Customer and employee satisfaction Employee engagement Health and safety recommendations Injury or illness rates Employee Absenteeism and turnover trends Workplace programs Also, relevant external information such as research and literature, industry and health- related data, and examples from other organizations can provide context for your specific organizational concerns and help you identify potential solutions. 7

Goals and objectives establish what you want to happen and how you plan to make it

• happen. Setting goals and objectives is critical to developing an evaluation process.

A goal is a broad, direction-setting, positive statement describing what you want to achieve with workplace wellness. Goals provide clear end points around which many activities can be organized. As the situation changes, the activities may change but the goals are not affected. An objective is a brief statement specifying the desired result of your workplace wellness initiative such as how much of what should happen to whom by when. Objectives are critical for evaluating the impact of your program. Clear objectives are: S pecific (clear and precise) M easurable (amenable to evaluation) A ppropriate (consistent with program goal) R ealistic T ime-limited Short-term objectives specify the short-term, or intermediate, results that need to

• ccur to bring about sustainable long-term changes. The time frame to achieve short-

term objectives can be as short as 2–3 months up to 2 years. 8

Long-term objectives specify the outcomes or changes needed to achieve program

• goals. The time frame to achieve long-term objectives is usually 2–5 years.

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For this step we use the information we have collected in the previous steps and take the time to develop measures associated with the workplace wellness actions your

• rganization will take. These specific measures indicate the point at which your goals

and objectives have been achieved. This approach is important to establish a real commitment to achieving results and measuring this achievement. It is useful when you need to justify spending money on activities since you can demonstrate that your efforts are having a positive impact and are contributing to meeting your goals. It is also a critical component of your evaluation process. The measures specify what information you are going to collect in order to determine you are on the right track or have met your objectives. Consider the following questions to help you select your measures:  How will you measure progress?  How will you know you met your objective?  What would be considered effective?  What would be a success?  What change is expected? Measures can be quantitative and qualitative. Where it is appropriate to use quantitative measures make sure they are clear and measurable and include numbers 9

and percentages. Where qualitative measures are appropriate, be as clear as you can about what information will be collected. This step is another opportunity to engage stakeholders in identifying how you will know you have been successful. This can be a learning opportunity for everyone about what is feasible and what data is important to be measured and collected. Once you have developed a measure of success for each objective, record your current baseline information for each measure. This is your starting point that all future measures will be compared to. 9

Expanding on our previous example for goals and objectives here is an example of the measures used for the short-term objective, how the information was tracked and what the outcomes were after one year. The baseline data for some measures in May 2014 was zero. When new information sessions were offered to staff later that year, data for those measures was collected using participant feedback surveys and registration forms. The data collected for the May 2015 evaluation now becomes the baseline for the information sessions and can be used for comparison to any data collected in the future as part of your evaluation process. This example also demonstrates the importance of mapping out your goals, objectives, activities and measures. Reviewing them step by step will make sure that the activities and measures will logically lead to achieving the objectives and will then lead to achieving your goal. Although, using measures may take some practice and time for people to understand, there are many benefits to this approach. Establishing your baseline data and utilizing measures during your planning, implementation and evaluation steps will help you to know that you are working on the right things, in the right way. It can also be essential to securing on-going commitment and ensuring the sustainability of workplace wellness in your organization. 10

Once the results of the situational assessment have been collected, a plan needs to be

• developed. Ideally, at this step the vision and mission for workplace wellness in your
• rganization will be used to guide the planning. Connections to the larger
• rganizational plan or corporate vision can also be made to incorporate wellness in to

your business operations. As you develop the plan, you will need to identify:

• the strategic direction for the program and how it specifically links to your

company’s mission and values

• the goals for the program,
• the broad strategies you will undertake to accomplish the goals,
• the key audiences for its activities,
• the resources you need and what supports are available to achieve your goals,
• the communication strategies you’ll use to promote your activities and
• how you will monitor your progress and evaluate the results of your efforts.

The following types of planning will be critical to the effectiveness and success of your workplace wellness program: Strategic planning is high-level, long-term planning that strives to affect the strategic direction of the organization. The plan will either link with the organization’s overall mission, vision and values or strive to change or shift them. This is a long-term strategy 11

that takes three to five years. At the program planning level, specific program goals, objectives, target populations and activities are defined. It will generally be completed on a yearly cycle. Operational planning encompasses the roles, resources, deadlines and day to day

• perations for specific activities.

References: http://wmhp.cmhaontario.ca/comprehensive-workplace-health-promotion-affecting- mental-health-in-the-workplace https://playbook.heart.org/ 11

You may have noticed that obtaining support and approval appears twice in the Roadmap. The first time it is to gain enough support to undertake a situational assessment in

• rder to generate a plan and take that back for more support.

The second time, you are securing support to implement the workplace wellness plan The Committee can play an important role in presenting the situational assessment results, the rationale and the program and evaluation plan to senior management for

• approval. This is to guarantee their support and approval for any necessary funding or

employee participation. It’s also a time to continue to ensure management is clear on and has “bought-in” to their role in actively supporting the plans. The organization must have support and communication about the strategy from senior management down through the management structure of the company to front-line employees. Find someone with strong presentation skills to represent the planning group and share their vision and if possible, find someone with organizational clout to champion and support the plan. It is important to think about what is known about the decision- maker(s) so the “pitch” can be customized to them. In presenting the approach, it’s important to share both the business plan and the evaluation plan. This will show management that the program can be kept accountable and that the results will be measured. Tie in the case to the company’s strategic plan. Show how the workplace wellness 12

program will help the organization to meet its goals. For example, if the organization wants to become a recognized leader in its field then they can build the case around how reduced turnover and absenteeism, improved engagement, productivity and quality of service delivery will help the organization to excel. Once approved, communicating your plans is fundamental to any successful workplace wellness program. If employees don’t know about a program or understand its benefit, they are unlikely to participate. Effective communication strategies can amplify leadership commitment, increase program appeal, encourage employee trust and participation and help normalize and sustain the new mindsets or desired behaviors you wish to encourage in your organization. References: http://wmhp.cmhaontario.ca/comprehensive-workplace-health-promotion-affecting- mental-health-in-the-workplace https://playbook.heart.org/ 12

Now that you have your plan in place and support from management, the next step is putting your plan into action to support a healthy workplace culture, employee wellness practices and a safe work environment. Implementation is where you will spend the greatest amount of your time and energy. Your plan should be managed and implemented with the same diligence as any other project in your organization. Now I will highlight the key components for the successful implementation of a comprehensive workplace wellness approach. Your plan included all of the resources needed for implementation. Now that you have approval, you need to secure the resources you identified as essential prior to moving forward. Your change strategies are most vulnerable to failure during the transition phase. You’ve created solid strategies for organizational change and stakeholder engagement, now follow through, monitor and adjust them as needed to ensure your success. Enable management to be role models and maintain their commitment to workplace wellness by providing them with the information, tools, and assistance they need as well as the opportunities to lead, support and be involved in the activities. 13

Promote your activities well so employees can plan to participate. At least three communications are recommended prior to any new activity. Decide who are the best people in the organization to promote the activity and how they will promote the activity for maximum impact. Seek out employee input, reflect back to employees what is being heard and how you plan on responding to the feedback they’ve provided. Schedule regular status meetings with your committee and any sub-groups. Consider sharing the agenda and objectives for each meeting and extending an open invitation to employees. Be aware of gaps in capacity within the organization to meet your objectives and attempt to address them as quickly as possible. Ensure those with responsibilities such as management, committee members or champions have the skills or training needed to be effective in their roles. Create opportunities for all employees to learn and develop their knowledge and skills toward improved well-being. Monitor your progress by tracking what you planned to do and when against what you actually did and when you actually did it. Share regular updates about your progress toward your objectives with employees. To continually improve, adjust your approach as needed based on feedback and results

• f regular evaluation. Share with employees why the adjustment is being made, what

was considered in the decision to adjust, and what the impact of the adjustment will be

• n them and the organization.

Celebrate successes along the way and at the completion of key phases of

• implementation. Ask employees what meaningful celebrations would be and involve

them in the organization. Collect data on your measures and share the outcomes at regular intervals so employees remain engaged in wellness and motivated by the progress being made within the organization. Regardless of whether your organization is large or small, when you have multiple activities planned, implementation can become very complex. To ensure success, a potential solution is choosing one activity that may address multiple objectives at the same time and test how your organization manages implementing that one activity. Drawing on this experience, will help build your confidence to add on additional

• activities. Your evaluation will provide important information that will help you make

adjustments and improvements to your approach the next time. 13

Jennifer will now discuss the evaluation step in more detail. 13

Measuring your program’s progress and outcomes is essential for maintaining accountability and demonstrating its effectiveness. Also, sharing information about progress and setbacks and areas to improve adds to the evidence base for continuing your program, making adjustments and for starting similar programs at other sites. Creating an evaluation plan that outlines your goals and methodologies before beginning the program, regularly monitoring progress, collecting data on multiple

• utcomes over time and analyzing and reporting major outcomes will maximize the

impact of your findings. Tips to Improve Evaluation and Outcome Reporting

• Have an evaluation plan before the program is started
• Keep track of implementation as you go, so you can make changes as needed
• Assign responsibility for data collection and schedule regular reports
• Collect data on short-, intermediate- and long-term outcomes
• Keep your audience in mind when preparing reports

When creating a report or other dissemination materials, use clear, concise language and organize the information so that readers can easily understand how each conclusion was reached. Use tables, graphs and figures to demonstrate trends and make projections, and to provide a quick takeaway for readers in a hurry. Finally, you should organize the report around the needs of its intended audience. Different individuals may need different information: for example, leadership may want 14

to know about leading risks and healthcare costs and whether the program should take a new strategic direction based on these findings, while HR staff may want to know about employee needs and barriers. Thus, it may be necessary to release multiple reports tailored to specific stakeholders. You may also want to measure the value of the company’s investment in the program using a Return on Investment (ROI) or Value on Investment (VOI) analysis. An ROI analysis examines how much is saved or earned for every dollar invested in the program, thus it usually examines tangible benefits like reduced medical costs or increased productivity. Because ROI analysis focuses on tangible benefits, some benefits

• f your program are not captured. VOI calculations allow intangible benefits, like

morale, loyalty, retention and company image to be taken into account. You must decide which analysis works best for your program and aligns with the desires of leadership. References: http://wmhp.cmhaontario.ca/comprehensive-workplace-health-promotion-affecting- mental-health-in-the-workplace https://playbook.heart.org/ 14

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The Roadmap will be posted to the website following this workshop and resources will be added to the website in phases so check it regularly for updates. Future workshops will be planned based on the topics the community of practice is interested in having more information and support on to help you on your Workplace Wellness Journey. Thank you! 17