Speaker 1: Are you wondering why your workplace wellness program is not working? Workplace wellness programs fail for just as many reasons as they succeed. In this video series, I will discuss the five mistakes that wellness professionals make that hamper the effectiveness of their wellness program. Hello, my name is Rita Savoia. I'm a certified nutritionist, holistic wellness coach and workplace wellness consultant. Remember to hit the subscribe button for more videos like these. These five areas are also the pillars of any workplace wellness program. Pitfall number one lacks leadership support. Wellness programs don't happen without the support of key leaders. Identify your resources and key people and engender their ongoing backing. If you introduce wellness programs but have senior leaders and managers who don't foster well-being, employees may end up seeing your wellness communications as just lip service. But when wellness is at the heart of everything you do, it's easier to share it with employees and watch them follow your lead. Basically, I'm asking the leaders to walk the talk. Consider creating a wellness committee so that your employees have a say in co-creating their wellness program. Pitfall number two lacks integration. Avoid creating something quickly that doesn't tap into long-term behavioral change. Instead, establish a comprehensive strategic plan that builds employee engagement over time. Make sure the wellness program is customized to your organization's needs and aligned with the company's mission and goals. And just as important, it's integrated with other cultural and well-being initiatives and programs. Remember to be measuring progress and results so it can be improved and successes can be celebrated. Why not include a wellness goal in your staff's yearly performance objectives? So instead of thinking about wellness as just a program, make sure it's part of your corporate culture. Pitfall number three lacks employee engagement. As you can imagine, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work well for well-being and health concerns. In a workplace where there is usually a mix of baby boomers, Gen X, and millennials, it may feel challenging to address everybody's issue. So I recommend surveying individual generations and their needs can help leadership better understand what type of programs would work best for each group. This is to support employee choice without making it overwhelming. Consider providing a wellness credit so employees can choose the activity that works best for them. Make wellness programs accessible by sharing information through team meetings, corporate events, corporate emails, and, of course, corporate intranet. Pitfall number four lacks consistency. Avoid trying for quick fix wellness initiatives such as often flavor of the month challenges, contests, biometric screening, and lunch and learn events that are often forgotten or worse, not integrated with other initiatives or not followed up on. Consistency carves mountains, my friends. Having a well-thought-out integrated wellness plan demonstrates to your employees that you're serious and dedicated to their well-being. This will increase their participation because they will come to expect it and even look forward to it, provided that you've created the program with their feedback and needs in mind. Pitfall number five lacks a holistic approach to physical and mental health. While customizing the program to your workforce is important, make sure you don't end up with a fragmented initiative focusing just on physical wellness like exercise and eating well. Since body and mind are connected, giving your employees physical wellness tools without any tools to combat stress, such as breath work, will yield only partial results. Introducing a wellness program into your organization is not enough to obtain the ROI we want. Paying attention to avoid to these pitfalls will help your program become robust and convey to your team that you truly care about improving their health and well-being and the company culture. Hit the subscribe button for more tips. Ciao for now.