By Jeff Murphy

Not all corporate wellness programs are created equal. Here’s what you can do to make yours a success in 30 days. Read Part One.

WEEK TWO

Get Buy-In at The Manager Level
So your internal communications channels are in place, you’ve appointed wellness leaders, and your office is awash with healthy and delicious snacking options, but attendance at onsite yoga classes is nonexistent and the gym space you worked tirelessly to install is gathering dust.

Now what?

Week Two is the time to get buy in from your secret weapon — middle managers.

Middle managers are the direct link between the c-suite and the rest of your organization, and have the most immediate impact on the behavior of rank and file employees. As such, managers set the tone for the adoption of your wellness program, and ultimately help determine its success. A Gallup poll found that buy-in from middle management was the single biggest factor in the level of company-wide participation in corporate wellness programs.

Make sure you communicate the benefits of your wellness program to middle management, and encourage both managers and their team members to participate. Some companies go as far as integrating wellness goals into their managers’ business goals. When employees see managers taking an hour out of their day to use workout facilities, it sets a precedent, and signals that its acceptable to use work time to take advantage of health and wellness programs.

Dedicate a portion of week two towards educating middle management on the benefits of your wellness program. The more of your middle managers who actually participate in your wellness program, the more this beneficial behavior will proliferate throughout the rest of the company.

WEEK THREE

Incentivize Participation
If it’s week three and you still don’t have the participation you had hoped for, incentives can be the shot in the arm your program needs.

Sometimes your workforce just needs a little nudge in the right direction, and rewards for participation in specifics programs can do the trick. Incentives can take the form of anything from gift cards to apparel to an extra day of vacation. For example, some companies offer stipends for employees who bike to work at least three times a week, equal to the money saved on parking costs, or gift cards to employees who participate in voluntary health screenings or pledge to go tobacco free.

Outdoor apparel and lifestyle company Eddie Bauer has taken this approach, providing employees with up to $100 in reimbursement for any good or service that promotes physical, mental, or spiritual wellness, such as a workout clothes, new hiking shoes, or yoga classes. Known internally as “outside money” (since it’s meant to inspire employees to get outside), it’s proven to be hugely popular within the company.

Incentivizing participation can often be just the catalyst you need to revive a flagging wellness program, and inspire your workforce to make healthier choices for years to come.

Launch Wellness Challenges
Competition often brings out the best in us. Leveraging the spirit of fun and friendly competition can be another great way to kickstart participation in your wellness programs. Pit different teams against each other to win an extra day of vacation, premium parking spots, or a healthy catered lunch, or hold competitions within individual teams, rewarding top performers, or providing group incentives for team goals. The goal is to create a supportive, positive, and fun climate in which teams and individuals can succeed in reaching their health goals.

The types of challenges should vary according to the nature of the participants. Make sure your wellness challenge is voluntary and suited to the specific needs and character of your team. A weight loss challenge might be the perfect fit for a highly competitive sales team, but might not be the best idea for a more introverted group of engineers or graphic designers, for example. Other ideas include a target number of yoga classes per team member per month, a target number of total miles ran, or a target number of days biked to work.

Done correctly, wellness challenges can double as a team bonding exercise, bringing your organization closer together and increasing the fun factor while inspiring lasting lifestyle changes.

Jeff Murphy is a marketing, communications and design professional, as well as a guitarist, songwriter and Fender enthusiast.

This article originally appeared on the snacknation.com blog.