Measuring What Matters Most

In today’s pandemic-ridden, rapidly changing world, employee health and well-being is a top priority for leaders. Well-being is viewed as an essential aspect of creating a high performing, thriving workplace. Well-being programs have been modified, expanded, and refocused to adapt to these changing needs.

The pandemic has made us rethink our world, and in particular, our world of work. We now live in a socially distanced world. And yet we still need to do our jobs, support our families, and live our lives. How do we stay connected to the people that are important to us? As well-being professionals, we know that social connection is an essential aspect of well-being. The World Health Organization has even declared social support networks as a determinant of health.

With that increased visibility, comes increased accountability. You must be able to answer important questions such as:

• How is your organization demonstrating the value of the programs provided?
• What impact is it having on productivity and bottom-line results?

Goals and Measurement

To achieve goals, there is a need to measure progress. You know this from having set personal goals in your life. Whether you want to run a 5K, a marathon, or achieve a specific career or business goal; that same determination is needed to run a corporate well-being initiative. You must measure progress in order to set yourself up for success.

In business, it’s often about numbers. Key performance indicators measure progress against goal achievement. Yet all too often, corporate well-being initiatives don’t have a thorough evaluation process as part of their program. WELCOA has always encouraged a strong focus on measurement and evaluation through two key benchmarks. A strong measurement and evaluation effort can bring strong credibility to your initiative. Are you prepared to address the challenge of a comprehensive evaluation strategy for your well-being initiative?

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• Implementing a Wellness Strategy for Your Small Organization
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ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR Mari Ryan, MBA, MHP, CWP // CEO & Founder, AdvancingWellness

Mari Ryan is a workplace well-being strategist, award-winning author and speaker. As CEO and founder of AdvancingWellness, she leverages over 30 years of business experience in various marketing, consulting and executive roles across a variety of different industries. For the past decade, Ms. Ryan has been creating healthier businesses and impacting the lives of employees, through her consulting work and speaking on worksite well-being. Mari earned a Bachelor Degree from Lesley University, an MBA from Boston University, a Master’s degree in Health Promotion from Nebraska Methodist College, and is a certified Worksite Wellness Consultant. She is the founder and former Board Chair of the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts. Mari is an active member of the National Speaker’s Association. Mari is the author of the award-winning book The Thriving Hive: How People Centric Workplaces Ignite Engagement and Fuel Results, winner of the 2019 Axiom Business Book award. Learn more about Mari and AdvancingWellness at www.advwellness.com.