Company Health and Wellness: Company Health and Wellness Program Timing

As they say: “timing is everything.” Use the guidelines below to guide the timing of Company Health and  Wellness Program activities and data collection.

Timing: Company Health and Wellness Program Start-up
• Look at the optimal time to start a new Employee Wellness Program. Take into account preferences of  the target population and other factors that could affect enrollment and participation.
• For 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 Company Health and Wellness  Program options are available.

Timing: Company Health and Wellness Program Participant Support
• Look at how frequently Company Health and Wellness Program 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: Company Health and Wellness Program Data Collection
• Collecting data is an excellent way to track member progress and also to identify potential problems  within a Employee Wellness Program. So, give some thought to the frequency and timing of data  collection.
• Select metrics that can realistically change during the Company Health and Wellness Program  implementation time period. For example, BMI and weight may not change very much during a 10-week  Employee Wellness Program; however, step counts are more likely to noticeably change.
• Some data, such as member 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 Company Health and Wellness Program 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: Company Health and Wellness Program Follow-up
• Because the we are such a mobile population, it’s best to plan some sort of post-Employee Health and  Wellness Program follow-up data collection within two to four months after the Company Health and  Wellness Program ends.
• You can always try to collect additional follow-up data at 6 or 12 months after Company Health and  Wellness Program completion. However, if you collect the data sooner, you’ll at least have collected  some short term Company Health and Wellness Program impact information before participants are lost to  follow-up.