What Is the Importance of a Wellness Committee?

A wellness committee can play a vital role in the success of your wellness program. Why? Because the committee represents the opinions, thoughts, and ideas of your organization. If you want employees to participate in your employee wellness initiatives, handpick committee members from a cross-section of your employee population.

Which employees should be on your wellness committee?

Wellness committee members should come from different departments within your organization. For example, a company's wellness committee may include an employee from human resources, finance, sales, program management, marketing, and more. Take a look at your organization and consider inviting an individual from each department to be part of the wellness committee. After all, each department may have a different point of view on what matters in employee wellness programs.

Should wellness committee members volunteer or be appointed?

It is recommended that you ask employees who value the importance of good health and have a personal interest in wellness to be members, instead of arbitrarily assigning members to the committee. Members who are randomly assigned to the committee may not feel as committed or understand the value of what you are trying to offer. But if you pick the right people who agree to help, they'll be champions for the wellness program, set an example, and encourage participation.

What are the typical wellness committee duties?

Wellness committee duties may include:

• Communicating to participants the value of the wellness program and the benefits they can expect to receive by participating.
• Generating ideas, setting objectives, and establishing wellness program goals.
• Assisting with planning, coordinating, and promoting your wellness initiatives.
• Advocating for worksite policies and environments that support improved health.
• Encouraging participation in every way possible.
• Providing feedback regarding wellness initiative successes and barriers.
• Representing employee concerns and interests for future program development. 

Establishing a wellness committee with participants who embrace your wellness initiatives is an important part of building and managing a successful wellness program.

How can you set up your wellness committee for success?

Successful wellness programs will have buy-in beyond a wellness committee. They will have support from management teams, informing managers of upcoming initiatives and encouraging participation from the top-down.

One of the most powerful tools in a wellness committee's toolbox, however, is data. Does the wellness committee have information on the company culture of wellness, employees' health and lifestyle concerns, or readiness to change health habits? This information can help a wellness committee make data-driven decisions about the kinds of programs that will best fit their employee population. 

A health risk assessment (HRA) specifically designed for the workforce is one of the most complete ways to assess employee health, behaviors, and motivations. In an aggregate report, employee wellness committees are able to get a big-picture view of the health risks, preventable health issues, and lifestyle habits they can best address with their health and wellness programs. 

Interested in learning more about health risk assessments? Make an informed decision for your wellness program and choose the right health risk assessment.