Although Wood-Mode has had a wellness program for several years, the success of this program was measured primarily by two factors: employee participation rates and employee feedback. “We knew there had to be a more objective way to evaluate the overall effectiveness of our program,” says Vice President of Human Resources Tom Morgensen. “When we learned about the HERO concept from Capital BlueCross, it became very clear that this missing element – a measuring tool to benchmark ourselves – could be satisfied by utilizing the HERO resource.” He, along with Wellness Coordinator
Alice Herrold and Steering Committee Chair Eric Rowe, went through the questions individually. The three then met as a group and thoroughly discussed their answers before forming a consensus.
A major benefit of completing the Scorecard was that it reinforced that Wood-Mode’s wellness program was generally on the right path. But it also identified areas in need of improvement. The team discovered opportunities to improve in each of the six foundational areas identified in the Scorecard. First – and perhaps most important – the organization developed a strategic three-year plan that gives direction to EHM programming over a longer period and defines goals and objectives. The program started providing onsite health coaching for employees. And all employees were invited to attend a 45-minute educational session, where they were given a self-care manual. While the program already includes some incentives, the organization plans to begin giving more public recognition to program participants to further build employee engagement.
“In the past, some of what we did was by trial and error,” says Mr. Morgensen, “but going forward, we will use the recommendations from the Scorecard as a roadmap to get us where we want to be in our EHM programs.”
Source: 2012 HERO Scorecard Progress Report
