Practical strategies are key to sustainable health initiatives
Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District ’ s very first wellness initiative was incredibly simple , focusing on the benefits of simply drinking water and how it can make a big difference in daily life .
24 Leadership
The trick to creating a wellness program in the workplace with long-term engagement is to keep it simple . One of the greatest mistakes employers can make when it comes to rolling out a wellness program is biting off more than they can chew .
Large scale , complicated programs are challenging to administer and manage for employers , and difficult to understand and participate in for employees . When first introducing a wellness program , you need to eliminate as many barriers to entry as possible in order to have a high rate of employee buy-in . You can always add to your program , but like the saying goes : You only have one shot to make a good first impression .
Keeping these simple guidelines in mind , Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District has been able to implement and maintain a successful wellness program over the course of the past several years . In fact , their very first wellness initiative was incredibly simple .
“ After evaluating many ideas and options , we decided to kick-off our program with a very basic and practical strategy : getting people to understand the importance of hydration ,” said Rebecca Toto , Dry Creek JESD ’ s director of human resources . “ Anyone , no matter their understanding , or physical level of fitness , has the ability to track their intake of water .
“ We focused on the benefits of simply drinking water and how it can make a big difference in daily life . We provided hydration stations at our school sites and district office , encouraging staff members to track the ounces of water they consumed each day .”
Toto firmly believes that beginning with a challenge or an awareness initiative as simple as tracking water intake is an unintimidating gateway for employees who otherwise traditionally would not participate in a company sponsored wellness program for a variety of reasons , be it feeling overwhelmed
By Gina Nielsen