Creating a Health Promotion Committee
A representative Health Promotion Committee is a cornerstone of a successful Corporate Health Promotion Program, regardless of the size of the corporation.
Membership of your Health Promotion Committee
Aim for a committee of a manageable size (no more than 15 members, depending on your corporation’s size). Your Health Promotion Committee should represent all employee groups (e.g., full-time and part-time workers, managers and front-line staff, salary and hourly employees, union representation, HR, marketing or communications, legal, and occupational health/safety).
Here are some additional considerations:
• Health Promotion Committee members can be selected by leadership or can be selected from among volunteers.
• Determine in advance how long Health Promotion Committee members will support and how new members will be selected. Balance the need for continuity with the need to bring fresh ideas and energy to your corporation’s Corporate Health Promotion Program.
• It’s not important, or even desirable, to have your healthiest workers on the Health Promotion Committee. Ideal Health Promotion Committee members are those who best can represent their peers, motivate others and support the implementation of the Corporate Health Promotion Program.
• Consider offering an incentive or recognition to Health Promotion Committee members. It legitimizes their positions and encourages participation. Some corporations that have started stipends have generated enough worker interest that the selection of Health Promotion Committee membership becomes a competitive process. The Health Promotion Committee responsibilities become a formal part of the member’s job accountabilities.
Role of your Health Promotion Committee
In some corporations the Health Promotion Committee is responsible for the implementation of the Corporate Health Promotion Program. In other corporations, the Health Promotion Committee plays an advisory role. In either case, the group members can be asked to:
• Attend regular meetings of the Health Promotion Committee.
• Help establish a vision and name for the corporation’s Corporate Health Promotion Program.
• Represent their peer group by sharing ideas, needs, concerns and feedback from their work areas and colleagues about proposed Corporate Health Promotion Program Procedures, policies, and programs.
• Offer feedback on the possible barriers to proposed Corporate Health Promotion Program Procedures and offer suggestions for addressing those barriers (e.g., how does a proposed policy fit with the schedules of workers?).
• Suggest effective Corporate Health Promotion Program communication Procedures and solutions to challenges. For example, what is the best way to communicate with workers who work the third shift? How will workers react to a proposed message from upper management?
• Be a voice of support for a culture of health, carrying the message from the Health Promotion Committee to their work areas and colleagues.
Functioning of your Health Promotion Committee
Meet. Schedule regular Health Promotion Committee meetings on paid work time. Your Health Promotion Committee may want to meet frequently at first, then slightly less frequently as your health improvement strategy is more established. If your Health Promotion Committee is new, it might be useful to ask members to provide information about themselves and their interests.
Communicate. Set up frequent and regular channels of communication with Health Promotion Committee members so they are up to date and engaged. An email list is frequently the easiest way to do this. Encourage communication to flow both ways: from Corporate Health Promotion Program coordinator to members and from members to coordinator.
Check-in. At least once a year, determine how effectively the Health Promotion Committee is functioning. Is the Health Promotion Committee serving its original purpose? Ask committee members for their feedback. Do they feel like their work is making a difference? Do they feel like their input is valued and taken into account when planning and implementing initiatives? Do they understand their expected Corporate Health Promotion Program roles and responsibilities? Are there members who want to rotate off of the committee? How will new members be selected?