Location, Location, Location

Not only was the group fantastic in Pottawatomie County, but the workshop location was equally impressive.  We were hosted at a local church and right outside was an enormous and beautiful community garden.  We were lucky enough to have break time to explore the garden.

It was exciting to hear employers talking about ways to support the garden in their community and ways to engage staff and those they serve, by incorporating it.

This was an extremely thoughtful group.  There was a lot of emphasis on really establishing a strong foundation for this work by building committees, so that the responsibility for wellness didn't rest on the shoulders of an individual.

There are a number of worksites in Pottawatomie County that have the support of their executives and plan to get to work.  With such strong foundations being built, we are sure to see some exciting things from this group.

A huge thank you to those that participated in this workhsop and for being leaders in their community!

Pottawatomie County, Mid Kansas Coop,  Little Love Bugs Learning Center, First Trust Company of Onaga, Westy Community Care Home and NCCA – Nemaha County Coop Association.

How Could we Forget About Pratt?!?

We missed a post about the workshop that took place in Pratt, KS.  I have no clue how this might have happened because Pratt proved to be an unforgettable group.  They were all very forward thinking and witty, which made for a productive and entertaining workshop.  Blythe Family Fitness, Pratt Community College, Pratt County Health Department, Pratt Family Practice, Pratt Regional Medical Center, The Peoples Bank, and USD 382 were all in attendance and did not fail in keeping us on our toes.  We always ask for push back and they sure gave it.  It was exciting to see folks exploring different sides of issues, playing devils advocates, and challenging facilitators.  These are the conversations that are sometimes necessary for change.  If we all fall into our habitual "Kansas nice" and the heat never gets raised, it can be difficult to make progress.  Thank you Pratt participants for your openness and enthusiasm!

Hays Champions Bring Together a Great Group!

The Hays Champions came from three different organizations and actually worked with an even larger group to recruit worksites for the local WorkWell KS Workshop.

The team was able to bring together a large and diverse group of local employers including Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, Paul-Wertenberger Construction, Inc., Midwest Energy, Inc., Lang Diesel Inc., Nex-Tech, Heartland Building Center, The Center for Health Improvement and the Hays Recreation Commission.

This group was extremely open and honest in the dialogue that took place over the day and a half with the WWKS crew.  These conversations are the kind that allow us to really impact change.

We are excited to see what changes occur in the health of Hays with the leadership these businesses are providing!

Power in Numbers: Girard Worksites Think Big !

City of Girard, Farm Bureau Financial Services, Girard Medical Center, Crawford County Sheriff Department, Heartland REC and Greenbush were all in attendance at the Girard WorkWell KS Workshop.  Each of these employers saw the role that they played in impacting not only the health of their own employees, but the community as a whole.

They also saw that there truly is strength in numbers.  Instead of being an individual organization, they are a group of organizations making progress together.

This is a concept we discuss at many of the WorkWell KS worksite workshops.  What does change look like when done together?  Are interventions such as policy and environmental changes less challenging to do if done at the same time  across multiple organizations within a community?

These are things to be thinking about as you are implementing changes.  Connect with your local WorkWell KS group to explore your options and develop the best approach for your organization and community. Check out the WorkWell KS website under the participants tab to find your local Champion.  www.workwellks.com 

Broccoli Cake

Food...we all need it, we usually like it, sometimes love it and we are often emotionally attached to it. We can associate certain foods with celebrations or they may trigger memories of a specific event, or time in our lives.  Changing the food environment at your worksite sounds relatively easy, but is it?  Not in KS, and likely not in many states. 

Food has been a “dangerous” topic in almost every WorkWell KS community.  In every workshop we share a  Heifetz & Linsky quote, “to lead is to live dangerously because when leadership counts, when you lead people through difficult change, you challenge what people hold dear…”   Food definitely falls into this category.  Making changes to the food environment can be difficult and may require leadership to be successful.

For some reason discussions about change the food environment becomes a battle between cake and broccoli.  Why the extremes? Changing your worksite food environment doesn’t have to mean going raw, organic, vegan etc. or becoming the “cake police”, snatching cake out of the hands of folks and replacing it with  broccoli.

MAKE THE HEALTHY CHOICE THE EASY CHOICE AT YOUR WORKSITE.

Many people feel more comfortable with the “baby steps” approach, or just adding healthy options to begin with. Take a moment and imagine your worksite and you placing a tray of birthday broccoli next to the birthday cake and letting everyone choose which they would like.  If those are the contenders, my money is on the cake.  Granted, some people may decide to crunch on some green goodness, but how many and how likely is that? Why would you as an employer make it more difficult for an employee to be healthy? That is not to say that those approaches cannot be effective.  You must know your culture and your employees to determine the best way to implement changes.  What will be the most effective for your organization?

There are simple changes that can be made that will better serve your worksite wellness plan. Implementing healthy food policies or following identified guidelines for food provided to employees, allows you to create a healthy food environment.  (Please note that this says healthy, not gross. Communication methods and how you roll out food changes to employees can also be important.  Some people may associate the word “healthy” with that raw broccoli they dislike. It is really about providing your employees with food that is fresh, tasty and helps them feel good and energized for the day.) 

DIGGING A LITTLE DEEPER

As an employer you are working hard to improve employee health and to create a healthy work environment.  Are your efforts and messaging consistent?  Let’s say you are encouraging employees to be more physically active and are allowing them to have walking meetings and  take daily walks, only to return to a break room full of donuts, cookies and pop, are you supporting their healthy behaviors and/ or lifestyle changes? Are you truly creating an environment that allows your employees to be healthy?

The food environment you support at your worksite can impact the overall culture that you are fostering.  WorkWell KS has a number of resources and contact so support you in making changes to your food environment.  Please connect with us if this is something you are interested in addressing at your worksite. 

Warmest Welcomes in Liberal

The WorkWell KS team had the pleasure of working with some incredible people in Liberal.  Champion, Arturo Ponce, pulled out all the stops, and created a most welcoming workshop room, balloons and all! We even took time to serenade an employee of the facility, for her birthday. It was exciting to see such a strong sense of community!

 First United Methodist Church, Gorditas 2 Go,  Liberal Recreation Department, Seward County Health Department, Spencer Browne's Coffee House, Ortuno Cabinets & Construction LLC, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church were all local businesses, participating int he day and a half workshop.

It was clear that this group was extremely thoughtful and cared deeply  not only for their worksites and employees, but for the community as a whole.  We are looking forward to seeing what this group does in the future!

Walk the Walk

The Year 4 Champion workshop was fantastic! The participants from across the state were thoughtful and engaged, but more than that they were people of action.

They didn't have to be prompted to get up and move during a brainstorming session.  They were given twenty minutes to talk withing groups and folks immediately took there talking outside.  The weather was great so they walked and talked.

This is a great way to incorporate physical activity into your worksite meeting structure. Could you as an employer develop a policy that allows for walking meetings or physical activity breaks after a certain period of time? Think about ways to incorporate physical activity into your worksite culture.

Follow the link below for examples of such policies.  Visit workswellks.com for more ideas!

http://www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com/PhysicalActivityAndHealthyEatingPolicy/Texts/Sample%20Physical%20Activity%20Policy.pdf