According to the Kaiser Foundation, 81 percent of largeemployers (more than 200 employees) offer well-being programs. However,many of those companies don’t consider major factors beforelaunching their programs — and there are many things to considerwhen preparing an implementation.

Analyzing and proactively planning will set an organization on apositive path to success.

In order to drive results for both employers and employees, thereare five critical steps that every organization should consider inany well-being strategy: proactively evaluating current culturearound health, analyzing the current company environment, studyingthe employee population’s current status, knowing engagementtactics that already work for your population, and clearly definingsuccess and how it will be measured.

For a strong starting point, it is vital to understand thatfostering total well-being, or high life satisfaction, is criticalto an employer’s success. Employees that are resilient and highlysatisfied in and out of the workplace will deliver better resultsfor the bottom line. Leading a well-being strategy requiresthinking about employees holistically.

Considering wellness alone is not enough. The key factors toconsider include health, psycho-social, financial, work-life, andresiliency. Tie the success of your program to your current andfuture vision around the culture of health.

Performing an assessment will provide strong insights intomanagement’s well-being philosophy and their belief systems aroundvalue drivers. Top down support is critical and allows the benefitmanager to begin alignment with the leadership team.

Ask questions like, “Would employees say that their supervisorreally cares about their well-being?” and “In what ways doemployees ‘live well-being’ day to day?” Knowing your company’s andemployees’ belief systems will help benefit managers create astrategy that supports the company’s business objectives.

The current company environment is also a strong factor in thesuccess of any well-being program launch. While companies evolverapidly, being honest about where the organization is now and howthat may affect a well-being program (or how a well-being programlaunch may affect the company) will be a large factor indetermining success.

Benefit managers should know if there are plans to IPO, merge,acquire, right size, adjust compensation and/or merit, or makelarge senior leadership changes that will require employees toreadjust. With the right approach, change is sometimes an opportunity to improve company morale andsatisfaction.

For example, a rapidly growing health care technology companychose to launch a well-being challenge to unify employees afterseveral acquisitions. Launched by the CEO, the program enabledemployees to challenge each other in a fun and engaging manner,ultimately uniting the company.

Next, understand the current health status of the employeepopulation as well as what they value to ensure that the well-beingprogram components will be relevant and tailored to theirneeds.

To understand this, important, easy-to-obtain information likeaverage age overall, average age by worksite or department,participation in savings programs like the 401(k) and HSA plan,percent who are healthy, percent at-risk for chronic illnesses, andpercent that have ongoing conditions, and responses to Health RiskAssessment around stress and resiliency provide insights into whoemployees are and will lead you to create a well thought out designthat delivers positive results.

As an example, when looking at age, if there is a largemillennial population, digital programs with a large socialconnectedness component are very effective. Millennials also respond wellto a compelling email invitation.

To increase receptivity with baby boomers, on the other hand,employers may want to introduce the program through an in-person orlive webinar session with time for them to ask questions.

While the challenge can remain the same for the wholepopulation, use a multi-modal launch and a tailored message tomatch your culture and the needs of the individual communitieswithin will yield better engagement and outcomes.

And never forget to simply ask employees what they value and howthey want to be approached. Surveying employees makes them feelheard and will greatly improve the adoption and ultimate outcomesof the well-being program.

As you think about how best to launch, know that the foundationalready present at the company for non-wellbeing initiatives is apowerful springboard for a well-being program. Well-being is auniversal topic that can be easily tied to most initiatives.

Think about those training sessions where food and refreshmentsare offered, and ensure healthier options are provided along with abrochure on the benefits of eating healthy and an invite toparticipate in a healthy eating challenge.

Is there an influential employee that other staffers revere?Many employers create a formal well-being champion team to help getearly buy-in. This yields informal leaders when it comes time tolaunch and maintain the program later on. Do employees participateactively in charitable work?

If so, incentivize well-being participation by offering todonate to a popular or preferred company charity. When well-beinginitiatives fit easily into employees’ daily lives, results aregreatest.

Defining success and measuring progress may seem fundamental,but many employers skip this step. This can lead to thewell-being program’s goals and strategy being ill-defined,misunderstood, and heavily scrutinized by senior leaders andemployees. Companies that do this very well write the corporatewell-being objectives right into the overall company strategy.

By understanding the culture of health and benchmarking whereemployee health status is, employers will have a strong baseline.Once this baseline is established, determine program objectivesfrom the point of view of all constituents — employer, employees,and clients. Be specific about what you want to achieve by namingthe actual number or percentages you want to see improve.

Common examples of objectives and measurement statistics arehigher employee satisfaction, improved retention, reducedabsenteeism, higher engagement in health programs, participation ina financial acumen seminar, and outcome improvements such as thenumber of people who successfully completed a health assessment,biometric screening, stress reduction, or resiliency programengagement. The HERO scorecard provides a very comprehensive set ofmeasures.

Also have an estimate of how each improvement percentage orperson who improves affects your costs in order to calculate amonetary value and prove the success of the program. For seniorexecutives, it is critical to tie well-being programs to the bottomline.

Following these five steps will ensure an effective well-being program strategyand ensure long-term viability as employers drive a strong cultureof health, have a strong baseline of current employee health statusand resiliency, and seamlessly fit into employees’ daily lives asother successful program and activities are enhanced with a biastoward well-being. Clear objectives and measuring results willprove the program’s value to both employees and employers.

For real traction, well-being needs to be the fiber of yourcompany culture. When well-being is a cornerstone of an employer’sstrategy, the ideas and possibilities are endless.

This is a journey, so enjoy the small wins and unity that comeswith bringing employees together toward the common goal ofwell-being, and celebrate the big win — optimized employee health —when the program strategy succeeds.