Health promotion, wellness and productivity > Marketing health and wellness

Program design is important, but the way in which a program is introduced to a workforce also has a huge impact on its success. Without employee interest and enthusiasm an otherwise well-designed program will be unlikely to meet its objectives.

For this reason, it can be useful to think of program introduction as a way of marketing health and wellness.

The program itself will not improve employee health; rather it gives staff information and opportunities that enable them to improve their own health.

Workplace health program marketing strategies.

There are seven useful strategies to consider when ‘selling’ a workplace health program to a workforce.

7 useful strategies for selling a workplace health program

1.	Focus on the positive

2.	Get managers to endorse the program and demonstrate commitment to it

3.	Communicate sensitively

4.	Be honest about benefits and motivations

5.	Get creative!

6.	Know your workforce

7.	Pilot the program.

1. Focus on the positive.

The stated aims of the program should be positive goals, including:

•	Enjoying good health;

•	Achieving wellbeing; and

•	Increasing productivity.

2. Get managers to endorse the program and demonstrate commitment to it.

The program is not only for employees. Supervisors, managers and senior leaders are part of the workforce and for the program to be taken seriously all levels of the organisation should be involved.

Senior manager engagement and leadership will enhance the program's effectiveness. Senior manager involvement increases the involvement of middle managers, and in turn this permeates to other levels of the organisation.

3. Communicate sensitively.

Statements about productivity improvements should be communicated with care. Reference to "our productivity" is much better than talking about "getting employees to lift their game."

If staff are left with the impression that the program is aimed at improving employee performance, their negative perceptions of the program will be counterproductive to the program's effectiveness.

4. Be honest about benefits and motivations.

Bearing in mind the importance of sensitive communication, it is ok to be honest about the likely benefits of the program and the organisation's motivations for introducing it. It is sensible to let employees know about any evaluative steps that led to the decision.

5. Get creative!

Think creatively about how to build enthusiasm. A competitive, male-dominated work culture might be won over by a competitive athletic event. The event will not generate sufficient enthusiasm for the health and wellbeing program by itself, but can provide a starting point.

6. Know your workforce.

“Selling points” will vary depending on the workplace. Academics at a university may be more interested in the published evidence supporting the value of health and wellbeing programs than in the kind of competition mentioned above. Other workforces may be more interested in the calming effect of exercise and good diet.

7. Pilot the program.

This won’t always be necessary, but in some workplaces it’s a good idea to pilot the program with a small test group. Or, more simply, you might opt to demonstrate success in one department and then build that success across the organisation.