Collection: Our Blueprint, Post 3
Hi everyone! In my last post I shared with you WHY you need to design a new and improved business case for your workplace health program, and 3 tips for HOW you can do that. Now I am going to share a model I have used to help develop a comprehensive business case and plan for HOW to change an existing program. Let’s get started!
While this model was developed for staff working in Public Health, it is most definitely applicable to what you do. Use it to plan your research and organize your business case.
Let’s begin with the purple Research bubble. It is incredibly important to use high-quality research evidence to develop a new and improved WHY for your program. In your business case, you will want to share information and strategies that are known to be effective in a workplace setting.
In my previous blog I shared and described 2 websites you can use to access high-quality research evidence that has already been appraised by experts. The first website I highly recommend is nice.org.uk. Once here, view their Guidance documents by Setting then select Workplaces. Each Guidance document includes Recommendations you can trust to use and include when developing your new business case or doing program planning.
The second website is healthevidence.org. Once here type workplace into the search field. When you see a green rating, this means that the quality of this research scores high.
The difference between this website and nice.org.uk is that NICE publishes guidelines that recommend what should be done, whereas Healthevidence.org appraises research articles to let you know which ones you can trust. It is important to know that even those can have limitations, something healthevidence.org will share in the summary of their review.
Let’s now look at the yellow bubble. Here is where you would collect data to communicate information about the Local Context. This is where you would share important and relevant data such as the results from employee surveys, HR, and benefits data. It’s important to not just share positive data. Data can reveal a need to address a problem. For example, if you see an increase in absenteeism, take action to learn why. When analyzing drug and benefits costs, are costs increasing or usage? If your company wants to reduce drug and benefits costs, this decision may come at a cost in other ways (e.g., increase in absenteeism).
Local Context data can also include gathering demographic data to learn more about your workforce. In public health, data that is commonly analyzed to help better understand the local context includes age, gender, education level, immigrant status, and income level.
In large organizations, local context can vary by department, role/job function, and location. If you work for an organization that has locations across the country or perhaps the world, this is an excellent model to use because it takes into consideration the local context and political preferences, which can vary from one country to another.
The green bubble represents Political Preferences and Actions. When gathering information in this area, I would encourage you to review the organization’s mandates, vision and mission statements, strategic priorities, departmental goals and objectives, etc. Include relevant statements from these business documents when constructing your business case. What’s being communicated, what’s not being said (but perhaps should be), is anything outdated and needs to be modernized, are there any gaps?
When researching information for your new and improved WHY, something else you can do is to look for synergies between what others are saying and doing and what you want to do. In your organization, how can you and another department work together on a project? For example, if your company is going to be replacing their computers, partner with that team/department on the rollout. Help with the communication to staff by offering to promote the change and get buy-in for it by sharing relevant health information about ergonomics, eye strain, prolonged sitting, taking microbreaks, etc.
Another example is to partner with the team or department that oversees building maintenance. Find out when the elevator maintenance is going to be. If realistic and feasible, use this as an opportunity to promote using the stairs. Also, ask them when they have a fire drill planned, then in the weeks prior, plan a stair challenge. I know from experience that the time it takes to exit a building during a fire drill will improve when staff know where the stairs are and are familiar with using them.
While these examples are about planning more activities for staff, it is the beginning of a partnership and a seed for future opportunities for collaboration. The goal is for other departments to see the links between their work and the work that you do. Often, they do not think about how their decisions and work plan impact the health and wellbeing of staff.
Here’s an example…you’ve noticed an increase in chiropractor and physio appointments. An initiative is launched to address these issues. Over several months:
- some sit-stand desks are purchased as well as an assortment of new chairs
- fixed height desks are raised and lowered to better suit the user
- staff are taught how to adjust their chairs, keyboards and monitors to improve posture and reduce strain
- staff receive training on how to set up their workstations in an ergonomic way and educated on how posture affects their body and how they feel
A series of small changes that, over time, begin to benefit all. Later that year your IT department rolls out a computer upgrade, that includes removing the old equipment and giving everyone a new tablet. This is an example of how a decision made by another department can negatively impact the health of staff. Of course technology upgrades are needed, however, there is a people side to this change that needs to be considered beyond learning how to use a new device.
Depending on the type of organization you work for or where it is located, Political Preferences and Actions may also include influences from the outside. For example, certain industries can be affected and influenced by political agendas and policies. Or, if you work in government, political preference can vary from one political term to another, and by who gets elected.
Can you tell this may be my favourite bubble? I enjoy the challenge of identifying potential partners and learning more about their priorities to identify synergies and looking for ways to work together.
Finally, is the Resources bubble. Here you want to consider and address resources such as money, time, and people available to do the work.
While these oval shapes are depicted as being the same size, the reality is they can vary – with one or more being more important in your organization. The size can also change over time. Always overlapping these 4 bubbles is your knowledge and experience. It’s like detective work, and I highly recommend that you do not rush this process. Dedicate time to investigate each of these 4 bubbles and synthesize what you learn to develop a new and improved WHY for your program.