Canadian HR Reporter

City of Richmond cast the net wide when it came to building its corporate wellness program F E AT U R E S WELLNESS By Sarah Dobson I t's a rare employer that off ers lessons on guitar playing or bonsai gardening, but the City of Richmond in British Columbia does just that — and more — as part of its corporate wellness program. It wasn't always that way. Fifteen years ago, when the program fi rst started, the orga- nization focused primarily on physical health. It was about containing health-care costs, reducing absenteeism, raising health awareness and making lifestyle behaviour modifi cations. Chief administrative offi cer George Dun- can was really a champion of the program, says Alison Dennis, fi tness and wellness services co-ordinator at the City of Rich- mond. And that was a key success factor — having support from the CAO and senior leadership team, with members participat- ing in the programs alongside front-line staff , she says. One of the fi rst initiatives was a "Heart Health Fair," in partnership with an outside organization, that included blood pressure and cholesterol checks, a healthy weight zone and nutrition stop. Employees were evaluated and then, after a 12-week pro- gram, assessed to see if there had been changes. ere were also activities such as a lunch- time skate or swim, a barbecue and a wal- lyball league. Since then, the program has blossomed into taking a holistic approach, tackling everything from stress resiliency to mental health awareness to physical health aware- ness, says Dennis. " at's part of its success — we said, 'You know what, if we say wellness equals physical activity, we're going to miss a lot of people, so how are we going to reach those people that maybe don't identify them- selves as somebody who wants to be part of a physical activity program?'" she says. "We really threw the net wide so that people started to identify, 'Wow, the well- ness program isn't just all about physical activity and nutrition, I can see where I fi t in.' "It's really equipping people with the tools and resources to be able to say, 'How do I shift my perspective out of one that may be causing more stress to one that empowers them to make change?' So it's really focus- ing on that whole mental health well-being, both inside and outside the workplace." e city's wellness program now tackles issues such as elder care, childcare, par- enting a teenager, fl u clinics and internal coaching. ere are also lessons on photog- raphy, fl y fi shing, how to make sushi and how to play the ukulele. Back in 2010, with the Winter Olympics in town, the municipality held a six-week "Warmup to 2010" with teams of staff par- ticipating in activities loosely based on the Olympics, such as cross-country skiing with 12-foot wood planks. "( ey were) fun activities that com- bined all the elements of wellness — mind, body, spirit types of activities — and that's really the pillars of all our programs," says Dennis. "By doing these kinds of initiatives, our hope is that we keep our workforce healthy for a longer period of time and, hopefully, that turns into a longer-term employee in terms of not retiring as early as they might have decided they wanted to." ere's also an in-house gym, with about 300 of the organization's 1,700 employees registered, along with 50 to 75 people who are registered to use community centres. And the city did a survey of anyone who participated in the wellness programs to identify future endeavours, she says. "My philosophy is that it's not my well- ness program, it's their wellness program — I'm just here to connect them with the opportunities that they're looking for." e program enjoys strong participation, largely because of convenience, employee input and topical, relevant initiatives. "It's really making it employee-centred as opposed to us saying, 'Well, I think this is what we should do' — what do the staff want? So I think that's a big piece of it," says Dennis. "And creating the opportunities that the research is also saying are impor- tant factors to the general population, so things around elder care." Return on investment Years ago, when the city fi rst started the program, it looked to private sector em- ployers with wellness initiatives and found those that measured the return on invest- ment were more likely to keep the program going when budgets were cut, says Dennis. So all the city's programs have metrics around them, be they informal or formal. "Part of the reason that organizations are questioning their return on investment is many of the wellness programs are not putting metrics in place to be able to mea- sure, so how can they tell the story?" she says. ere are several indicators Dennis looks at. For example, if there's a 12-week pro- gram, it's about looking at whether people form habits within the time frame because if they do, there's greater likelihood they will stay active post-program, she says. As a result, the city does before and after measurements to look for improvements in physical activities and physiological health parameters. "To me, that's success if they're taking the information and doing something with it, then we're being successful in implement- ing a change and a shift in the perspectives on a healthy lifestyle," says Dennis. "We know from the literature that when these parameters are improved, it translates into decreased benefi t costs, decreased sick Credit: Africa Studio/Shutterstock "One reason organizations are questioning their return on investment is many of the wellness programs are not putting metrics in place." STAFF > pg. 17

• Cover