The most successful health and wellbeing programs are those which have the support of leaders, including the business owner, CEO and senior managers. It doesn’t matter if the desire for change starts with workers or leaders (or both), gaining leadership commitment is a critical first step for your health and wellbeing strategy.
Leadership commitment is the degree to which a workplace leader:
- makes health, safety and wellbeing a clear priority
- communicates this priority through the vision, mission statement or strategic documents
- is a positive role model and engages in health, safety, and wellbeing practices every day.
In practice, committed leaders:
- endorse a workplace health and wellbeing strategy
- connect health and wellbeing with organisational values and practices
- engage all levels of management to champion workplace health and wellbeing
- commit resources and assign responsibilities, both financial and human
- regularly communicate their vision and organisation’s commitment
- serve as a role model and actively participate in health and wellbeing initiatives across the workplace
- reward success via recognition, incentives, and celebrations.