Advice wanted: proposing a Wellness Committee at work
For quite awhile, I've wanted to propose the organization of a Wellness Committee at my place of employment - a group of people who would be responsible for things like providing healthy snacks, organizing informational seminars and health fairs, coordinating giveaways/raffles for things like gym passes, gift certificates for the health food store, etc. Maybe even incorporating a "fitness olympics" into the annual company picnic.
Here's the problem (or what I see as the problem). There are two people I would have to present this proposal to and they are both: 1. overweight and 2. the ones who currently bring donuts to meetings, and provide free ice cream in the summer, and give away candy at holidays, etc. (In other words, they're fat and they like food that makes people fat.)
I am worried that they will be offended by my idea and/or insist that "people love the free ice cream and would prefer it to fresh fruit so what's the point?"
Is there some way to go about this that is non-threatening and persuasive? Anyone have any thoughts, suggestions, opinions?
I think I would start first by taking some sort of informal survey to see if people actually would want this and/or be interested in participating and organizing things....because you really have to have people buy into the idea for it to work
then take the informal survey results to those two overweight people and ask for permission to start the ball rolling based on the positive support from the survey
then you can use the interested people to get things happening....
Personally, if the two decision-makers were overweight and seemed to not really be interested in health/nutrition, I would be too scared to present the idea. I'd probably see if anyone in the office just wanted to meet informally to do things like walks at lunchtime or a weekly lunch where we all tried out new healthy foods or recipes.
Here's the problem (or what I see as the problem). There are two people I would have to present this proposal to and they are both: 1. overweight and 2. the ones who currently bring donuts to meetings, and provide free ice cream in the summer, and give away candy at holidays, etc. (In other words, they're fat and they like food that makes people fat.)
I think that's an unfair judgment. Food doesn't make someone fat, eating too much food makes someone fat. A person should never be judged for how they look and how they eat. Furthermore, almost everyone I know likes food, skinny or fat or whomever. They're expressing their appreciation for the employees by bringing in food and you are basically accusing them of trying to make everyone fat.
Is it possible that you can bring in "good" food and allow them to continue bringing what you deem as "bad" food? Because I'm getting the impression that you're accusing them of creating an unhealthy environment and rather than adding nutritious foods and healthy activities what you really want is to eliminate their food choices.
I have to agree with wannabe. I think you are being a tad unfair on your two bosses. Chances are that they will welcome a wellness committee.
Surely you know from being overweight yourself and from this communicating with people on this forum, that many people have good intentions but struggle to lose weight and/or make unhealthy choices e.g. bringing doughnuts into work.
The idea of a survey sounds good to back yourself up, but I don't see any reason why you would expect them to say no.
Wannabe - I very nearly edited that sentence from my post because I know it's judgmental and wrong. But it is how I perceive the situation (to be bluntly honest) and it's what I'm afraid will be heard if I propose this idea. I needed someone to call me out and show me how to think about this differently so my attitude will be correct. So, thank you!
I really like the idea of an informal survey to find out if there is interest in this kind of change. I also think I will ask two co-workers who I think would be fantastic committee members if they would be willing to help with the survey and proposal.
I just want my heart and approach to be totally right in all of this. I feel so strongly about it and I don't want to do it incorrectly.
Wannabe - I very nearly edited that sentence from my post because I know it's judgmental and wrong. But it is how I perceive the situation (to be bluntly honest) and it's what I'm afraid will be heard if I propose this idea. I needed someone to call me out and show me how to think about this differently so my attitude will be correct. So, thank you!
I really like the idea of an informal survey to find out if there is interest in this kind of change. I also think I will ask two co-workers who I think would be fantastic committee members if they would be willing to help with the survey and proposal.
I just want my heart and approach to be totally right in all of this. I feel so strongly about it and I don't want to do it incorrectly.
Thank you, everyone, for the input!
I was just trying to think of it from their perspective. Last year I was leading a team meeting and it was a tad early in the morning so I brought in coffee and donuts. Of the dozen people there only a couple of people reached for a donut and then I felt a little silly that I brought them in. After speaking to a coworker about it she said "are you nuts, everyone is on a diet now, nobody is eating sugar and carbs. What were you thinking bringing donuts?" My intention was good, but maybe I was a little off base. And now I think back and realize that of all those people I was the fat one. Did they see me in that manner? That I'm fat, and I like food that makes everyone fat? And that feels like an unfair way to be viewed. I didn't even eat any of the donuts!
I came on here to post something of a related topic. I wont hijack your thread, but I would say that I would be cautious about starting such a committee especially if you do not work in a field related to health. I know for me, I'm a nurse, so nearly every place I have ever worked has teams, committees and goals for healthy living, weight loss etc. But in an environment that healthy living is not a part of the job, I would worry that it might be a form of pushing your interest (health or weight loss) on others and that they might not react kindly to that.
Lets call a spade a spade here. Our bodies reflect our success or failure of weight loss attempts. We may *try* to lose weight, but our body will tell the world if we are following through on the behaviors, food choices, exercise regiment, and habits that lead to a healthy weight. Our bodies will also tell if we more often make choices that are not optimal for weight loss. If your 2 coworkers are over weight and they are the ones bringing in junk like candy and donuts, then its pretty obvious that they are not living the behaviors needed to lose weight. They may *want* to lose weight, but their actions say they also want to bring fattening foods to work to eat and share. They may see work treats as "ok" "splurges"...or they may not being trying to lose weight, and see no reason to limit bad food in the work place. You really wont know unless you ask. While I think you are in the right for wanting to encourage coworkers to foster a healthy work environment, personally that's a can of worms I would not want to open with a supervisor! Just my 2 cents...
Definitely poll your fellow employees, making sure to provide specific information as to what you hope to accomplish.
My workplace has a wellness committee, which has become so unpopular people refuse to open emails from some of the prolific, sanctamonious members. Encouraging healthy behaviors is one thing. Harassing and deluging your coworkers with obnoxious emails and posters, promoting only one path to health (one of our members is a rabid vegan and sends horrifying anti-meat rants), is another. I'm not saying you will do that, but you should be clear in your poll what you aim to do and the methods you will use to reach those goals.
I really appreciate all the thoughts and feedback everyone is giving. I'm definitely getting a different perspective on the whole idea....and that's a good thing.
Maybe I am just trying to get something that I want. Maybe my own pursuit of wellness has made me hyperaware of something that others really do not care about. Maybe I would just come across as self-righteous no matter how delicately I try to propose the idea.
I'm going to continue to ponder on all of this......
I really appreciate all the thoughts and feedback everyone is giving. I'm definitely getting a different perspective on the whole idea....and that's a good thing.
Maybe I am just trying to get something that I want. Maybe my own pursuit of wellness has made me hyperaware of something that others really do not care about. Maybe I would just come across as self-righteous no matter how delicately I try to propose the idea.
I'm going to continue to ponder on all of this......
I think this is pretty accurate. Not just for you, but for me, and probably a lot if not all of us on 3FC. We have become aware of our weight, health, activity levels, diet, relationships with food, what drives us to eat for reasons other than hunger, how our pasts have effected our weight etc...
In my experience, the longer we are immersed in this, the harder it is to remember a time (if there ever was one) that we weren't hyper- aware of all this. Some people just don't care that much. They read a "diet tip" in a magazine while waiting to get their oil changed at the mechanic, try it out half heartedly for a few days, while still eating poorly and not exercising, and give up. They believe they "cant lose weight" or they are "big boned", when they are clearly over weight. Its just not something they are concerned with, for whatever their reasons. Forcing it on them in the work place, I think can lead to problems. I completely support health education, but I've learned that some people just want to be willfully ignorant, and that some people do not want to put in the effort to improve their health or lose weight. If that person is your supervisor, well.....
I think your intention is fantastic and if you feel the need to provide change in your work environment you should so it. There are some pitfalls of course, someone is bound to feel threatened by it and that's to be expected. But if its frames well and run well it can be beneficial to many people. Perhaps you could create activities that are not overly publicized or intrusive to the work environment. My best friend works in an office environment and has created a wellness committee. She is a certified Zumba instructor and offers a free class once a week at 6am. She also leads after work walks. Participation is all voluntary. She puts out a basket of fruit and granola bars. She has sent emails reminding people to get up and walk or stretch. She has recommended that people stand to take phone calls. It's been well received. This does not interfere with someone bringing in donuts mind you. A wellness committee can provide inspiration, but it is not meant to police the office.
I like the idea of polling your coworkers. I was wondering if there might be some sort of way to test the waters with this idea. Perhaps a company picnic or party or something else where you would volunteer your time to contribute something g wellness related? If you made sure that your contribution was a true help in that situation, I could see that being a great way to open the door to the subject. I'm thinking of something like offering to coordinate active activities for families at the company picnic, or signing up to coordinate a walking group during lunch, etc.
Knowing nothing about your company, but you may wish to start with your HR department as the Employee Benefits division generally is interested in overall employee health and wellness. They may have some vendor freebies or ability to get them to promote the wellness message. Most insurance companies and third party claims administrators have a wellness division that would LOVE it if employees would ask for their resources and have lots of free stuff to offer. It may also help your supervisors buy-in if it comes from HR as well.
Last edited by BeachBreeze2010; 06-24-2014 at 03:14 PM.
I think your intention is fantastic and if you feel the need to provide change in your work environment you should so it. There are some pitfalls of course, someone is bound to feel threatened by it and that's to be expected. But if its frames well and run well it can be beneficial to many people. Perhaps you could create activities that are not overly publicized or intrusive to the work environment. My best friend works in an office environment and has created a wellness committee. She is a certified Zumba instructor and offers a free class once a week at 6am. She also leads after work walks. Participation is all voluntary. She puts out a basket of fruit and granola bars. She has sent emails reminding people to get up and walk or stretch. She has recommended that people stand to take phone calls. It's been well received. This does not interfere with someone bringing in donuts mind you. A wellness committee can provide inspiration, but it is not meant to police the office.
I really love all of these ideas and would love if my office embraced these! But we are a very small office, so I just try to do these things for myself...
My dad's work has a wellness program related to (or possibly initiated by) their health insurance provider. Certain activities or changes in well-being will actually get you a discount on your health insurance plan. I wonder if that is a route that can be explored in Novus's case?
Advice wanted: proposing a Wellness Committee at work
