feature
own health profiles, build a personal action plan and track
their progress.
■■ Health awareness days and events calendars can easily be used
to develop the framework for a cost-effective program. Health
Canada lists health promotion days with links to related health
organizations on their website at www.hc-sc.gc.ca.
■■ An interactive Workplace Wellness Program calendar is also
available at workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com, and
includes suggested activities and free resources tailored to each
date. There, you will also find links to other free community
resources such as The Schizophrenia Society of Ontario, the
Canadian Mental Health Association and Kids Help Phone,
to name just a few.
■■ Stress management tools like the virtual wellness program
developed by the University Health Network (UHN) offer
online exercises for stress reduction and deep relaxation.
■■ Self-assessment tools can include questionnaires, information
and quizzes, such as the Canadian Mental Health Association’s
Mental Health Meter or Work-Life Balance Quiz. These
and links to other credible organizations have been made
conveniently available under Self-Assessment Tools at
WorkplaceStrategiesforMentalHealth.com.
■■ For information, ideas and tools to educate employees
and ways to evaluate the success of a wellness program,
HealthyWorkplaceMonth.ca can be used all year long.
Health and wellness programs aren’t just employee perks for
big companies with big budgets. Companies are made up of people
and so health is important to any workplace. Companies can
start small by implementing one initiative at a time. They just
need to start. n
Laura Pratt, B.A., C.I.M., H.I.A.A., I.C.A. is the national
practice leader for Great-West Life’s national team of organizational
health consultants.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT A
WELLNESS PROGRAM DOESN’T
HAVE TO BE A BIG INVESTMENT.
24 ❚ APRIL 2018 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL
