Central factors (quality criteria) in Workplace Health Promotion are:
- to understand that work ability is a broad and many -sided concept
- the participation of the management and personnel is genuinine and
direct
- there is enough resousces for WHP impelmentation
- activities are based on the needs of the workplace, the process is
co-operative and applied to every one in the workplace
- the process is continuous, goal-oriented and planned
- it is documented at organisational level
- the follow-up, evaluation and corrective actions are a continuous process
WHP-Steps self -evaluation matrix (pdf)
1. STEP: PREPARATIOS
"We have decided to launch workplace health promotion activities in our workplace"
- How should we build up collaboration?
- How should we inform the workers about the activities in our organisation?
The commitment of all parties, including the employees, supervisors and the management is necessary. A group responsible for planning, supporting and carrying out the activities is nominated. Representatives from business management, human resource management, personnel, occupational safety and occupational health services are all important members of the workplace health promotion group.
It is good practice to document the decision to start, and to nominate a group of persons responsible for planning the program. This activity and its importance should be made clear right after the decision, and it is practical to use the information channels that are already available in the workplace. As a result, everyone is informed about the program and can prepare to be active.
2. STEP: PLANNING
" We have nominated the persons who are responsible for a work ability maintenance group and informed everyone about the activities"
- How do we set the targets of the activities?
- What functions well in our workplace and what could we improve?
The targets of the actions are documented in a development plan describing the process of the Workplace Health Promotion: the aims, targets, responsible actors, timetable, and follow-up and evaluation of the program are all described.
Basic data are needed for the planning of activities. In the beginning, it is reasonable to examine the information available on the individuals' health, workplace hygiene and safety, organisational functioning and training needs and available programs. Occupational health services collect information on the health of the employees and the healthiness of the work environment. Surveys and team meetings can be used to collect information about the need for actions.
The functioning of the work processes and the clarity of the instructions can be investigated to get information on the need for organisational development. Supervisor - employee development discussions and organisation climate surveys can be used for analysing team-level functioning.
The STEP - self-evaluation matrix on the last page can also be used to chart the needs for actions.
3. STEP: REALISATION
"We have charted the needs for health promotion, drawn up a plan for development, and informed everyone of the planned activities"
- How do we carry out our plans?
- Who is responsible for the activities?
- Who will participate?
- What are the targets of the actions?
It is useful to divide the planned activities into smaller processes to be realised according to an agreed timetable. Both internal and external actors can be responsible for parts of the program. Workplace Health Promotion should be an integral part of the everyday routines in the workplace. The process should reach everyone, and everyone should have an opportunity to contribute to it. Possibilities to influence at work motivate the personnel and improve their well-being.
All facets of workplace health promotion (the employee, the environment, the organisation and professional skills) should be considered. It is possible to promote the health and functional capacities of the employees. A work group can improve their internal co-operation, mutual support and communication to achieve better information exchange and a better organisation climate. Supervisory actions can be used to strengthen personal resources and professional competence. Work processes can be improved to increase occupational safety and ergonomics simultaneously with productivity.
4. STEP : FOLLOW-UP AND EVALUATION
"The development processes are on-going and some of the objectives have been achieved"
- How to follow up and evaluate the process?
- Have we achieved the targets we desired?
- How to ensure continuous progress?
All activities need continuous assessment and reorientation. Continuous monitoring of the progress and the results form the basis for evaluation and improvements.
Information on the progress and the effectiveness of the program can be collected in the implementation phase. Evaluation of the outcomes may be either formal or informal. The available figures and statistics should be made use of. Self-made assessment of the individual programs is useful, and the questionnaire used in the planning phase can be repeated in the follow-up. The STEP self-evaluation matrix is planned for macro-evaluation of all health promotion activities.
The workplace Health Promotion group can make a systematic evaluation of the
program. Successful actions can be supported and new initiatives suggested to reach the goals not yet achieved.