April Newsletter
A Twist on the Old Health Fair
February 6, 2009 by Bill Meltzer HR Benefits
A few years ago, company health fairs were all the rage. Now they’re making a comeback, with a slight twist.
In the past, the fairs often better served the vendor(s) who came on-site than the needs of the hosting company or their employees. More recently, companies have refined the planning of the events to serve specifically to launch or promote a wellness program.
To be successful, the events need to serve two purposes: boosting employee education and building their enthusiasm to participate in the wellness program. To make sure you and your employees get the most out of a wellness fair, it helps to be aware of the plusses and minuses - and some little touches that can mean the difference between a so-so event and a hit.
Double-edged sword
On the plus side, employees received easy-to-grasp information on key wellness topics such as illness detection, symptom control and smarter medication practices. They also receive important services like free blood-pressure screenings.
On the down side, some experts said the more newfangled events were more like “disease fairs” than “health fairs.” In other words, the tone was little too somber and employees weren’t particularly tuned in because they weren’t enjoying themselves.
Wellness program consultant Dr. Ron Goetzel believes that the savviest firms strike a balance in their health fairs. Stick with the screenings, but also feature exhibitors who offer “lighter,” more enjoyable services. Examples:
- a booth from a local health-food store
- a chair-massage station
- elder-care info from the AARP, or
- a “complimentary medicine” info booth (ex; a chiropractor or an acupuncturist).
Offering incentives
In many cases, employees still need an incentive to attend the fair and get the desired screenings, in addition to doing the fun stuff. Some real-life programs that have worked:
- a contest offering prizes to employees who visit every station
- quizzes and prizes based on info from different vendors’ literature
- flex-scheduling or time-off incentives for getting screened (e.g., a comp day or an extra afternoon off), and
- cash incentives (as little as $20 and as much as $100) to people who voluntarily take part in various screenings.
Tried and True Training Tool
Adapted from The Leader as Communicator
One of the best training tools can also be the easiest and cheapest: Asking Questions. Here are examples of the ways you can use questions to teach employees to:
- Challenge current practices – “Why are we doing it that way?” “How could we gain better results?”
- Consider data – “What do the facts tell us about performance trends?” “Based on that information, what opportunities do we see for alternative approaches?”
- Control work processes – “How effective are we?” “What might we consider doing differently?”
- Plan for progress – “What happens next?” “How does that task happen from start to finish?” “We know how we want the work to progress, but does it really happen that way?”
- See the big picture – “What are we doing?” “Are those the behaviors that will lead us to do the right things correctly?”
- Think independently – “What areas do you think we might want to re-examine?” “What questions does our current situation raise in your minds?”