888-765-5400Walking: A Plan of Action
Walking: A plan of action
Bringing the benefits of moderate walking exercise to your workforce is a realistic, effective goal. But like many other things that are good for you, it takes the right approach to make sure you trigger a long-term change instead of a temporary fad. The key to success is planning.
Step 1: Map it out
Begin by making sure your company’s management supports what you’re doing. You don’t need a detailed plan or a budget yet—just make sure you’re not taking anyone in the leadership by surprise. You might look to the HR office, the education and training director, the occupational health officer, or someone in a similar position for initial support. Of course, you may have a CEO or other executive who’s willing to champion the cause. Remember that the best leadership is by example!
Once you’ve got a leader, you need followers. Survey your workforce to find out their overall level of interest, and dig down for details about how they’d like a walking program to work. Do they want it to be casual or competitive? In teams, or as individuals? Would they be willing to join clubs, pay for pedometers, or travel to a remote site if necessary? Make sure to assess how work schedules and shifts will influence people’s availability for exercise.
A simple employee interest survey can help you tailor your workplace program to the needs of the people who will use it. Ask: Who’s already walking? Who’s not active but contemplating it? People at different stages will need different approaches, and your program will probably have to address the whole spectrum. Find ways to address the barriers that arise, like “no time” or “bad weather.” And remember that not all the information you’ll need comes from a factual survey; you’ll also need to take into account the unique culture that keeps your workplace working.
Don’t try to create this plan on your own. Even if employee wellness is your full-time job, you’ll want the support of a teamto make sure your walking program really catches on. In fact, you may need to assemble two types of teams depending upon the size and scope of your company. (If you’re a small to medium-sized organization, one comprehensive team made up of a mix of many representative “subgroups” within your company will do.) In some companies, it pays to have two teams: a “Team 1” made up of core company officials who can help you implement meaningful change, and a “Team 2” or “action team” of volunteers who represent a cross-section of the employee population and help with the many tasks that go into planning, developing and implementing your initiative.
Make use of the resources at your disposal. Find the park, school, gym or company facility that represents the safest, most convenient place to walk. If weather is an issue, don’t forget about the local shopping mall. Other resources right under your nose might be local health experts who can conduct educational meetings, personal trainers who can help people with their technique, nurses who can help with assessments, or even athletic shoe retailers who can help people find the right footwear.
Step 2: Set goals
What’s true for a walk is true for a walking program: Before you start, determine where you want to finish. For your company, goals might include a certain degree of participation, a number of aggregate miles walked, or certain benchmarks in employee health indicators or healthcare costs. Remember that progress takes time—map out not only where your goals lie, but the pace you think is reasonable and the milestones along the way.
What information do you need to be gathering? Participation rates are a start. Correlating who’s walking with other data about your workforce – age, gender, departments, and so forth – can give you a richer picture of what’s going on. You’ll probably rely on self-reporting to gather this information. But don’t rely entirely on numbers: First-person testimonials will tell you how people feel about the program.
Step 3: Develop a Year One timeline
Once things are moving, you’ll need some structure to keep up the pace. Moving people from where they are to where you want them to be is easier if you point out the stepping stones. Here’s a sample checklist:
• What is your timeline for the program kickoff, important events, end of the first cycle, and recognition and incentives?
• How will you promote the program?
• How will employees sign up? Will it cost them anything?
• Will you use pedometers?
• Will you offer incentives for participation? For health improvement? For mile totals?
• How you collect data?
• Who is going to do what?
• How will you maintain popular support for the initiative?
Step 4: Get out there
You can use awareness activities, skill development activities and social support to enrich your walking program, enhance its changes of success and make it a more visible part of your workplace culture.
Awareness activities can include a scavenger hunt, a shoe-kicking competition (for distance) as a program kickoff, or informal “time trials.”
Skill development opportunities give participants a chance to ease into new behaviors by “trying them on” first-hand, which helps develop self-confidence. You can use a “healthy competition” model or a noncompetitive one that adds up everyone’s miles toward a common goal.
Social support fosters a healthy, supportive environment and makes walking a “culture norm” within your workplace. Being active and walking on a regular basis become accepted behavior and models for others to emulate.
For more information on health insurance coverage in North Carolina, please visit our website at www.nchealthplans.com or call our toll free number 888-765-5400 and speak with one of our qualified agents. Our agency provides coverage for health insurance in North Carolina through Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC). You may qualify for a 15% healthy lifestyle discount if you are in excellent health. Call us for details.
2007 Blue Cross and Blue ShieldInternal Association Data.