If you’re not familiar with the term “ROI”, it’s time to learn it and live it, health advocates! “ROI” is an abbreviation for return on investment. It’s what will help turn your passion into your employer’s passion. With the ever-fluctuating situation surrounding healthcare in the U.S., employers are more aware now than ever about the costs associated with providing healthcare coverage to their employees. Of particular interest to employers, obviously, is what they can do to decrease those costs. Help your employer discover the potential ROI on healthcare costs and you’ll not only save them money, you’ll most likely end up decreasing your own cost for insurance premiums too! If you have a passion for health, run with it and become a huge asset to your employer! Are you ready to take on the challenge? Here are a few things you need to know.
First, wellness and work-life have not been a common association in the past. If you take on the task of introducing your employer to wellness initiatives, you need to know that you’ll probably fight an uphill battle in some cases, depending on management. You will find as you get your feet wet that management advocacy is a huge component to the success of initial wellness attempts, so work hard to educate and corroborate with your management team early on. Doing so will increase the chances that you’ll be given the resources you need for your ideas, and that your work will be positively viewed in the end. The more management feels they were involved in the process, the more they’ll be proud of the outcomes- even if it’s mostly just a result of your work!
Second, do your research. The internet is full of studies, reports and other resources surrounding corporate wellness. Test your ideas against publications from wellness organizations, associations and information you can find on what other companies are doing. Doing so will make you appear more credible when you share your ideas with coworkers and management. Also, your ideas might be eligible for awards or recognition later on if they meet national standards- which you’ll be aware of since you found out what they were.
Plan for evaluation! The worst thing that could happen after putting in all the work to gain management support and implement a wonderful wellness initiative is that you have no way to showcase your work. Surveys are a good way to reveal a before and after picture for management. Numbers speak volumes to the ROI conversation. Make sure to track how many people, for what reasons, for how long, at what cost, etc. Any tools you can put in place throughout your efforts to help identify what, specifically, you’re doing and/or have done will be essential when you work to move forward with further efforts.
Happy health building friends! Good luck!
IMAGE: Courtesy of The Body and the Brain Blog
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