Employee Wellness : Workplace Physical Activity Programs: Creating an Action Plan

Prior to initiating your Workplace Physical Activity Program, summarize the information you’ve collected and plan your next steps.

At this point, you have

• gained backing from senior staff for the Workplace Physical Activity Program
• formed an Employee Health Promotion Program Committee
• assessed what is possible in your workplace
• found out what employees want and need in a Workplace Physical Activity Program.

Based on this information, you’re now ready to develop your action plan to boost physical activity at your workplace.

With the Worksite Wellness Program Committee, take the following steps.

• Combine the outcome of the employee survey with the workplace environmental assessment, and report to upper management and staff members.
• Prioritize the possibilities at each of the “levels” (individual, social, company, community, policy) in the workplace listed in “Keys to Success”. By way of example, suppose a large group of employees show an interest in biking to work. Since these people may want to shower and change after their commute each day, you could give showers and changing facilities priority in your workplace. Bike racks could also be valuable for making employees’ bikes secure during the workday.
• Consult the list of practical ideas found this website.
• Establish a mission statement (one which aligns with your organization’s overall mission statement) to define your purpose and help guide your process. Setting goals and objectives will help you achieve your mission statement.
• Put together a plan or blueprint approaching what you have learned. Make program and activity recommendations with timelines, identify resources and assign responsibilities. Revisit the list of tasks outlined in “Step 2: Forming an Employee Committee.” Seek upper management approval to move ahead.
• Once your plan is in place, it’s significant to encourage it to employees. Organizing a launch is a good way to do this. A formal launch additionally demonstrates upper management responsibility. If employees don’t know about the plan, they can’t take advantage of it!
• Establish what you need to track to show that you have reached your goals. Measure these factors before you begin. This way, when you evaluate later, you will know if there has been a change.