Working on Wellness: A Capacity Building Program for Massachusetts Employers

Abstract

In recent years, more worksites have shown an interest in offering wellness programs to their employees. However, uptake of worksite wellness programs remains low among certain employer groups, such as small businesses and employers in low wage industries. This poster will highlight the Working on Wellness (WoW) program; an innovative 'capacity building' program designed to help employers across the state implement evidence-based worksite initiatives and policies that foster a healthier work environment. Through a collaborative partnership with the MA Department of Public Health, a public health institute, a cadre of worksite wellness experts, and university researchers, over 150 businesses were recruited to participate in WoW this past year. This poster will describe WoW's innovative framework, the tools and resources available to businesses (e.g., seed funding, community connections and collaboration, access to a comprehensive online curriculum, and technical assistance), and examine program strengths and weaknesses. The methods used in this model to teach the concepts and skills of building a worksite wellness program will be examined. The evaluation aspects of the program, undertaken by UMass Medical and UMass Lowell will be identified. Lastly, the poster will feature case studies of participating organizations, highlighting the interventions implemented in their worksites to impact employee health. This poster is one of a series of posters on this project presented by the project team: UMass Medical, UMass Lowell, Health Resources in Action and AdvancingWellness.