Well Workplace Awards Users Guide

W E LL
WOR K PL AC E
AWA R DS
USERS GUIDE
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
Introduction to the Well Workplace Awards......................................................................................................3
Eligibility to Apply...............................................................................................................................................3
WELCOA’s Definition of Wellness.....................................................................................................................4
WELCOA’s Well Workplace Strategic Framework............................................................................................4
Recommendations for Completing the Scorecard..............................................................................................6
Transferring Checklist responses...................................................................................................................6
Multiple Worksites..........................................................................................................................................6
Tracking Your Application Progress.............................................................................................................7
Mark for Review.............................................................................................................................................8
Well Workplace Award Application Sections................................................................................................8
Description of Each Benchmark..........................................................................................................................9
Benchmark 1: Committed and Aligned Leadership.....................................................................................9
Organizational Commitment..................................................................................................................9
Strategic Planning..................................................................................................................................10
Leader Alignment...................................................................................................................................10
Leader Role Modeling............................................................................................................................10
Leader Accountability............................................................................................................................10
Leader Support.......................................................................................................................................10
Communication and Celebration..........................................................................................................11
Continuous Improvement......................................................................................................................11
Benchmark 2: Collaboration in Support of Wellness.......................................................................................11
Team Structure.............................................................................................................................................12
Collaboration................................................................................................................................................12
Grass Roots Efforts.......................................................................................................................................12
Use of Technology........................................................................................................................................13
Benchmark 3: Collecting Meaningful Data to Evolve a Wellness Strategy....................................................13
Measures that Matter...................................................................................................................................14
Meaningful Workforce Data........................................................................................................................14
Meaningful Workplace Data........................................................................................................................14
Benchmark 4: Crafting an Operating Plan.....................................................................................................14
Strategic Program Planning........................................................................................................................15
Strategic Planning for Environment, Programs, and Policies....................................................................15
Benchmark 5: Choosing Initiatives that Support the Whole Employee..........................................................17
Caring Approach..........................................................................................................................................17
Autonomous Approach.................................................................................................................................17
Comprehensive Approach............................................................................................................................17
Benchmark 6: Supportive Health Promoting Environments, Policies, and Practices....................................18
Work Environment.......................................................................................................................................18
Employee and Family Benefits.....................................................................................................................19
Culture Touchpoints.....................................................................................................................................19
Policies and Practices....................................................................................................................................19
Supportive Atmosphere............................................................................................................................... 20
Socially Responsible Business Practices..................................................................................................... 20
Benchmark 7: Conduct Evaluation, Communicate, Celebrate, and Iterate .................................................. 20
Evaluation Strategy......................................................................................................................................21
Workforce Outcomes....................................................................................................................................21
Workplace Outcomes...................................................................................................................................21
Quality of Wellness Programs and Resources.............................................................................................21
Progress Toward Vision...............................................................................................................................21
Communication of Findings........................................................................................................................21
Celebrate Success..........................................................................................................................................22
Continuous Improvement............................................................................................................................22
Final Submission................................................................................................................................................22
W E L L W O R K P L AC E AWA R D S U S E R S G U I D E | welcoa.org 2 of 23
Introduction to the Well Workplace Award
The Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping business and health
professionals improve employee well-being and create healthier organizational cultures. The WELCOA Well
Workplace Award is designed to showcase organizations that are taking an impactful and innovative approach to
improving the health and wellbeing of their employees. Achieving the distinction as a Well Workplace Award winner
will help establish your organization as an employer of choice and a leader in the effort to improve employee wellness
in the US.
Over the past decade, the wellness field has evolved to embrace a broader kind of health and wellness and
recognize the value of health-supportive environments and cultures. To better reflect this evolution and to guide the
advancement of the wellness field, WELCOA undertook development of an updated Well Workplace Checklist (the
Checklist) in 2016 and we’ve also updated the Well Workplace Award process outlined in this guide.
The revised Checklist and Award reflect best practices and innovations from many fields with relevance to human
health and well-being. This includes, but is not limited to, concepts and practices from sociology, anthropology, many
branches of psychology, leadership science, and organization development. All Well Workplace Award Winners have
used the patented 7 Benchmarks model to help build and shape their wellness program. In a Well Workplace Award
winning organization, the vision of protecting and enhancing the health and well-being of each and every employee
becomes part of the very fabric of the organization—not something extraneous and peripheral to the core business
functions.
Eligibility to Apply
A P P LY TO B E R E CO G N I Z E D A S O N E O F A M E R I C A’ S H E A LT H I E S T CO M PA N I E S
To apply for WELCOA’s Well Workplace Award, you must be a WELCOA member organization. This award
application is designed to measure the extent to which your organization is following WELCOA’s 7 Benchmarks
approach to worksite wellness. The Well Workplace Award has four levels of distinction:
Platinum Well Workplaces have met the highest standards of wellness support and organizational
alignment for wellness. They have distinguished themselves as leaders and innovators in workplace
health promotion. Platinum Well Workplaces have demonstrated exemplary implementation of
WELCOA’s 7 Benchmarks.
Gold Well Workplaces are organizations that have built exceptional and comprehensive worksite
wellness strategies grounded in WELCOA’s 7 Benchmarks. They have demonstrated that they have a
clear and unique business case for wellness in the organization and have created appropriate wellness
initiatives and strategies to achieve that vision.
Silver Well Workplaces have demonstrated that their workplace is supportive of employees’ efforts
to engage in wellness behaviors and improve their overall well-being. They have demonstrated that
they have a strategy in place that is approaching alignment with WELCOA’s 7 Benchmarks.
Bronze Well Workplaces are recognized because they have created a solid foundation which will
allow wellness initiatives to grow and flourish in the years ahead.
Purpose of this Guide
This guide is intended to make the WELCOA Well Workplace Award process easier for employers to complete and
to improve the consistency of the responses across organizations. To complete the application, you will be asked
to complete a series of multiple choice and essay format questions as well as provide supporting documentation.
Your answers will be saved automatically, and the application is designed to allow you to leave and return to the
application process as many times as needed. The application can be completed by multiple team members in your
organization but must be submitted by the WELCOA member who initiated the application.
WELCOA’s Definition of Wellness

Wellness is the active pursuit to understand and fulfill your individual human needs – which allows you to reach a
state where you are flourishing and able to realize your full potential in all aspects of life. Every person has wellness
aspirations. Successful workplace wellness initiatives require supporting employees in fulfilling their needs in the
following seven areas:
» Health – Beyond the absence of mental and physical illness, health is a feeling of strength and energy from your
body and mind.
» Meaning – Feeling part of something bigger than yourself. Knowing your work matters. Having purpose in your
life.
» Safety– Knowing you are safe from physical and psychological harm. Feeling secure enough to take calculated
risks and show vulnerability. Free of concern about meeting basic life needs.
» Connection – Experiencing positive, trusting relationships with others. Feeling a sense of belonging, acceptance,
and support.
» Achievement – Feeling you have the support, resources, and autonomy to achieve your goals. Succeeding at
meeting your individual goals and work aspirations.
» Growth – Feeling like you are progressing in your career. Learning and being challenged to use and expand on
your strengths.
» Resiliency – Viewing life with optimism. Feeling grateful and expressing appreciation. Feeling validated and
encouraged.
WELCOA recognizes that supporting this kind of whole-person wellness requires a whole-systems approach. The
Well Workplace Award application represents a broad array of approaches and practices that organizations can
use to evolve healthier cultures, environments, policies, practices, benefits, programs, and resources in support of
employee wellness.
WELCOA’s Well Workplace Strategic Framework

WELCOA’s 7 Benchmarks approach is based on a strategic framework comprised of seven iterative steps that,
when completed in an aligned way, will ensure that you have a truly meaningful and successful wellness initiative
designed to achieve what you want it to achieve. The framework in Figure 1 reflects the total benchmarks process
beginning with strategic planning at the organization level (Benchmark 1) and iterates by measuring progress toward
your organization’s vision for employee wellness (Benchmark 7). Table 1 summarizes the core approaches of each
Benchmark in the framework.
FIGURE 1. WELCOA’S WELL WORKPL ACE STR ATEGIC FR A MEWORK
B E N C H M A R K LO G I C M O D E L
BENCHMARK 1 BENCHMARK 1
Committed and Aligned Leadership Organization Vision Organization Values Strategic Goals
Vision* Values Goals
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
Leadership engaged
with accountable
BENCHMARK 2 BENCHMARK 2 collaborators
Collaboration in Support of Wellness Accountability Structure
Who comprises your formal team or collaborative network?
Accountable stakeholders participate

in operations planning
Collecting Meaningful Data to Evolve a What data are we collecting?
Wellness Strategy Measures and metrics for each goal Data collected in
1. 4. BM 3 designed to Wellness vision, goals, and operations
2. 5. assess current state plan should closely align with and
3. 6. of organization and support the organization’s strategic
strategic goals. vision, values and goals.
Crafting an Operations Plan Wellness Vision* Specific Wellness Goals What is our operations plan?
Vision* Goals Plan
1.
2.
3.
Choosing Initiatives that Support the Programs should align with What programmatic approaches are we using to achieve goals?
Whole Employee wellness vision, goals, and Programs and resources
operations plan 1. 4.
2. 5.
3. 6.
Cultivate Supportive Health Promoting Information about program Environment, policies, and What environment, policies and practices are we using to achieve goals?
Environments, Policies, and Practices successes and opportunities for practices should all align with Environment, Policies and Practices
improvement communicated to wellness vision, goals and
1.
stakeholders accountable for operations plan
Information about 2.
continuous improvements.
program successes 3.
and opportunities
BENCHMARK 7 for improvement BENCHMARK 7
Conduct Evaluation, Communicate, communicated to Processes and impact evaluation Are approaches operating as expected? Are they having intended impact?
Celebrate, and Iterate leaders and all should measure relevant operations
other organizational Process Evaluation Outcomes and Impact
and meaningful outcomes
stakeholders. 1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
TABLE 1. CORE APPROACH FOR EACH BENCHM ARK
BENCHM ARKS CO R E A P P R OAC H
Employee wellness reflected in your organization’s vision,

Benchmark 1: Committed and Aligned Leadership
values, and strategic goals
Create an accountability structure for your wellness

Benchmark 2: Collaboration in Support of Wellness
approach
Benchmark 3: Collecting Meaningful Data to Evolve a Collect relevant information to guide development and
Wellness Strategy operation of your wellness approach
Define wellness goals and create a planning process that

Benchmark 4: Crafting an Operating Plan
outlines how to achieve strategic goals
Benchmark 5: Choosing Initiatives that Support the Determine annual programmatic approaches for
Whole Employee achieving goals
Benchmark 6: Supportive Health Promoting Determine improvements in your environment, policies,

Environments, Policies, and Practices and practices that can help achieve goals
Benchmark 7: Conduct Evaluation, Communicate, Evaluate progress, communicate widely about successes
Celebrate, and Iterate and act on opportunities for improvement
Recommendations for Completing the Scorecard
WELCOA’s approach to supporting wellness is strategic and cross functional, so it may come as no surprise that
completing the Well Workplace Awards application will require thoughtful connection and collaboration across
business units in organizations. There may be many individuals throughout the organization you can engage to help
complete this award process. For example, representatives from senior leadership, human resources, training and
development, wellness programming, safety, quality, sustainability, and facilities management may all have important
contributions to the award process.
To gather the information needed complete the Award application, you can approach people individually to have
them weigh in on areas of most relevance to their role in the organization, or you can hold a meeting of individuals
from across the organization and discuss potential answers together. A PDF of the Well Workplace Checklist is
available online so that key stakeholders from your organization can pull together much of the information needed
to complete the Award process prior to logging into the WELCOA website. Once responses are determined, one
representative from the organization can submit them online.
TR ANSFERRING CHECKLIST
RESPONSES
Organizations that have previously completed

WELCOA’s Well Workplace Checklist can transfer
their responses from their latest submission into
their Well Workplace Award submission. You
will be prompted to do so on the Create New
Application page. The Award application will
require more information than was collected in the
Checklist, so you will still need to work through
each Benchmark area in the Award site to double
check that the information that has been transferred
still represents your organization, and complete any
additional information required.
M U LT I P L E WO R K S I T E S
Many organizations have multiple worksites and it is not uncommon for wellness approaches to differ across different
locations. In the case where there are substantial differences in the types of wellness support provided across
sites, but you believe that, on-the-whole, your organization qualifies for a Well Workplace Award, you can submit
a single Award application for your overall organization. If you believe that different sites may qualify for different
Award levels, you can complete separate applications for each site.
If your worksites differ substantially in terms of the quality of wellness support provided, you may want to
submit an application for your most advanced site, especially if it represents a large percentage of your employee
population. For any of these options, it is important that you indicate which site your application is for (for example,
Company X – Headquarters, or Company X – Northwest Region).
T R AC K I N G YO U R A P P L I C AT I O N P R O G R E S S
As you are working through the online application process, there are two ways you can track your progress. On the
left of your screen is a bar that indicates which part of the application you are in currently (the current section will
be highlighted in light green). At the top right of your screen is an indicator of the percentage of the overall Award
application you have completed to date.
The site will automatically update your answers after each question, but you can also manually save your application
responses at any point by clicking on the “Save” button at the bottom of each screen. The time stamp in the upper
right corner of your screen will indicate when the application process was last updated.
M ARK FOR REVIEW
Each question in the Award process has a “Mark for Review” button that can be used to set aside items that may
need the eye of another person in your organization. That person can access the Award site and proceed to the
“Questions Marked for Review” section. This can be found at the bottom of the left side menu. Once the answers
to these items are completed, you can uncheck the “Mark for Review” box, and they will no longer appear in the
“Questions Marked for Review” section.
W E L L WO R K P L AC E AWA R D A P P L I C AT I O N S E C T I O N S
The Well Workplace Award is organized into the WELCOA 7 Benchmarks areas outlined in Table 2. For a brief
description of each Benchmark and its subscale areas, please click on the links in the table.
TABLE 2. WELCOA’S 7 BENCHM ARKS & SUBSECTION AREAS
BENCHM ARKS SUBSECTION AREAS

Benchmark 1: Committed and Aligned Leadership Organizational Commitment
Strategic Planning
Leader Alignment
Leader Role Modeling
Leader Accountability
Leader Support
Communication and Celebration
Benchmark 2: Collaboration in Support of Wellness Team Structure

Collaboration
Grass Roots Efforts
Use of Technology
Benchmark 3: Collecting Meaningful Data to Evolve a Measures that Matter

Wellness Strategy Meaningful Workforce Data
Meaningful Workplace Data
Benchmark 4: Crafting an Operating Plan Strategic Program Planning

Strategic Planning for Environment, Programs,
and Policies
Benchmark 5: Choosing Initiatives that Support the Caring Approach

Whole Employee Autonomous Approach
Comprehensive Approach
Benchmark 6: Supportive Health Promoting Work Environment

Environments, Policies, and Practices Employee and Family
Culture Touchpoints
Policies and Practices
Supportive Atmosphere
Socially Responsible Business Practices
Benchmark 7: Conduct Evaluation, Communicate, Evaluation Strategy

Celebrate, and Iterate Workforce Outcomes
Workplace Outcomes
Qualitative and Quantitative Methods
Quality of Wellness Programs and Resources
Progress Toward Vision
Communication of Findings
Celebrate Success
Continuous Improvement
Description of Each Benchmark
Benchmark 1: Committed and Aligned Leadership
A successful wellness intervention starts with committed and aligned leadership. As wellness professionals, it is our
role to work closely with leadership to ensure that the organization’s vision and values represent the importance of
healthy employees. This Benchmark includes 51 items that measure the degree to which the leaders throughout the
organization are committed to and aligned in support of wellness. A successful strategy for supporting employee
wellness takes strong commitment and engagement of leaders and managers throughout the organization. Employees
and the organization benefit when the wellness of employees is reflected in the overall strategy of the organization
and embodied in the organization’s vision, mission, and values. This benchmark will help you assess the strength of
wellness support from leaders at all levels and from all areas of your organization.
Sections in this Benchmark include:
» Organizational Commitment
» Strategic Planning
» Leader Alignment
» Leader Role Modeling
» Leader Accountability
» Leader Support
» Communication and Celebration
» Continuous Improvement
O R GA N I Z AT I O N A L CO M M I TM E N T
The Organizational Commitment subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s
vision and values reflect commitment to employee wellness.
Potential attachments and open-ended items:
All respondents are asked to…

Please state your company’s vision.
Please list your company’s values.
Please write a brief statement about how your written or unwritten company values for wellness are expressed and what wellness
means for your organization.
If your answer to the question below is “yes,” you will be prompted to complete additional information (see blue
italicized text below):
Our organization’s vision and values reflect input from employees at all levels.
Please briefly describe the process for creating the company’s vision and values. Specifically include who was involve and how input
from employees and other stakeholders was collected.
S T R AT E G I C P L A N N I N G
The Strategic Planning subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s senior
executives are engaged in strategic planning for wellness. You will be asked to indicate your organization’s top three
strategic goals for wellness.
Employee wellness is included in our strategic business planning.
Please describe how your wellness strateg y is incorporated into your business planning process.
Our wellness strategy is positioned to help us achieve the larger vision of the organization.
Please describe how your wellness strateg y is designed to help your organization achieve its larger vision.
LEADER ALIGNMENT
The Leader Alignment subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s leaders and
managers are aligned in support of employee wellness.
All respondents are asked for the following information:

Please submit a wellness vision statement from your CEO or senior‐level champion.
LEADER ROLE MODELING
The Leader Role Modeling subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s leaders and
managers are role models for wellness.
If your answer to the question below is “Mostly” or “Very much,” you will be prompted to complete additional
information (see blue italicized text below):
Leaders visibly engage in personal practices that support their wellness.
Please provide examples of how your CEO is a role model, beyond participating in programs.
L E A D E R ACCO U N TA B I L I T Y
The Leader Accountability subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s leaders and
managers are accountable for employee wellness.
If your answer to either question below is “yes,” you will be prompted to complete additional information (see blue
At least one senior leader has direct responsibility for the wellness of employees. In other words,
it’s part of his or her job.
Support for employee wellness is factored into the performance goals of leaders and managers
Please provide a copy of your performance appraisal template or other validation measure used.
LEADER SUPPORT
The Leader Support subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s leaders and
managers support employee wellness. There are no attachments or open-ended items for this subsection.
CO M M U N I C AT I O N A N D C E L E B R AT I O N
The Communication and Celebration subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s
leaders and managers communicate about and celebrate wellness achievements.
Leaders regularly highlight and celebrate positive examples of wellness in the organization.
Please provide specific examples of how leaders recognize or celebrate wellness successes.
CO N T I N U O U S I M P R OV E M E N T
The Continuous Improvement subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s leaders
and managers are involved in ongoing improvements to the organization’s wellness approach.
Leaders provide ideas for improving employee wellness to the person or group responsible for
managing the organization’s wellness approach.
Please describe how leaders are involved in continuous improvement. Examples could include:
• Members of the wellness team are invited to speak or give feedback at board or leadership meetings
• Leaders allocate specific resources or reallocate resources as a result of evaluation findings
• Leaders make enhancements to health plan or other benefits as a result of evaluation findings
Benchmark 2: Collaboration in Support of Wellness

This Benchmark includes 41 items that measure the degree to which an organization collaborates, coordinates, and
networks throughout the organization in support of wellness. An ideal approach can be either formal or informal, but either
way, committed and accountable representatives from all functional areas and all levels of leadership should coordinate and
collaborate in support of creating the organization’s formal and grass-roots wellness approaches.
Whether it is a formal team, informal network, or technological solution, there must be a thoughtful strategy in place for
ensuring that your wellness initiative can be rolled out effectively across all job types, business units, and locations. This is
about creating accountability for how the work will get done, crafting communications that resonate across the organization,
and—most importantly—removing silos among key business units that contribute to the employee lifecycle (Human
Resources, wellness, organizational development, training, facilities, safety, EAP, selection, onboarding, etc.). An ideal
approach to collaborating in support of wellness includes all employee and stakeholder groups in planning and delivering the
organization’s approach to wellness. Committed and accountable representatives from all functional areas and all levels of
leadership coordinate and collaborate in support of creating the organization’s formal and grass roots wellness approaches.
» Team Structure
» Collaboration
» Grass Roots Efforts
» Use of Technology
TEA M STRUCTURE
The Team Structure subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization has created a cross
functional network and effective process for wellness accountability.
All respondents are asked:

Which of the following best describes how your organization supports employee wellness?
• We have a formal wellness committee or team responsible for planning and promoting employee wellness efforts
• We do not have a formal wellness committee or team but supporting employee wellness is built into how
we operate as an organization (e.g., people from multiple departments strategically collaborate to improve
employee wellness).
• We currently do not have any process in place to support wellness.
Applicant organizations with a formal wellness committee will be prompted to complete additional information
(see blue italicized text below):
Please attach a copy of an example agenda for your team or committee.
Please attach an example of the meeting minutes for your team or committee.
Please describe the oversight process for health and well-being in your organization.
Applicant organizations who do not have a formal wellness committee or team, but supporting employee wellness
is built into how they operate as an organization (e.g., people from multiple departments strategically collaborate
to improve employee wellness) will be prompted to complete additional information (see blue italicized text below):
If you do not have a formal wellness committee, please describe your organization’s process for ensuring that your wellness program
goals are being achieved. Who is responsible, who ensures that your program (approach) lives up to the values set by leadership?
CO L L A B O R AT I O N
The Collaboration subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which stakeholders in the organization
collaborate and coordinate in support of wellness efforts. It also measures the degree to which the organization
includes all types of employees at all locations in its wellness planning. There are no attachments or open-ended items
required for this subsection.
G R A S S R O OT S E F F O R T S
The Grass Roots Efforts subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s approach to
wellness includes the use of informal, grass roots, locally designed efforts.
If your answer to the question below is “yes”

We encourage and empower employees from different areas and departments in the organization
to create their own unique wellness approaches.
Please provide an example of a grass roots wellness initiative that was created by a department or other local area of your organization.

Individuals from the broader community are engaged/considered when designing approaches and initiatives.
Please provide an example of a wellness initiative that was created for or with input from your organization’s local community.
U S E O F T E C H N O LO GY
The Use of Technology subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization uses technology
in support of collaborative wellness efforts.
If your answer to either question below is “yes”

Document sharing apps (for example, Google Docs, Microsoft Office Online, SharePoint, and Zoho Docs)
Collaboration apps (for example, brainstorming, brainwriting, Candor, Canvas…)
Please list the app/s used.

Messaging apps (for example, Skype, Twitter, Slack, Yammer, Chatter)

Other types of technology
Benchmark 3: Collecting Meaningful Data to Evolve a Wellness Strategy

This Benchmark includes 48 items that measure the degree to which the organization collects rich and meaningful
data and information to drive relevant and effective wellness approaches.
This Benchmark looks at how well your organization is measuring what matters most to both the organization and
your employees. A fundamental part of any successful measurement approach is respect for employee privacy. It also
includes using both quantitative and qualitative methods for capturing information about employee perspectives and
needs.
To achieve success in any wellness initiative, it is important to collect data to inform operations planning. Without following
Benchmark 3 protocol, you will not have the information needed to choose the right approaches for meeting your wellness
goals. For a full guide to the types of data that should be collected, review WELCOA’s Benchmark 3 Toolkit. An ideal
approach to collecting meaningful data begins with a deep respect for employee privacy and dignity. Rich and meaningful
information about employee perspectives and needs as well as the extent to which your organization’s environment and
culture currently support healthy lifestyles should be collected. Every organization’s goals are different, but data collection
should always measure what matters most to both the organization and employees, and help drive the development and
continuous improvement of a thriving environment and culture.
» Measures that Matter

» Meaningful Workforce Data
» Meaningful Workplace Data
M E A S U R E S T H AT M AT T E R
The Measures that Matter subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization assesses what
matters most to employees and the organization. It also measures the degree to which an organization focuses on the
privacy of its employees’ personal health information. There are no attachments or open-ended items required for
this subsection.
M E A N I N G F U L WO R K F O R C E DATA
The Meaningful Workforce Data subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization
collects meaningful information about its workforce to inform its wellness efforts. There are no attachments or open-
ended items required for this subsection.
M E A N I N G F U L WO R K P L AC E DATA
The Meaningful Workplace Data subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization
collects meaningful information about its workplace to help inform its wellness efforts.
Data collection details

In Benchmark 1, we asked about the strategic goals of the organization related to employee wellness. Your top three goals are listed
below. If you do not see a goal listed, it means you have not yet completed this section of Benchmark 1 and will need to do so before
proceeding.
Please complete the following essay items for each of your three goals:
• What data do you collect to measure the state of the goal?
• How did you collect the data (survey, audit, formal review, interview, focus group, other observational method)?
• How frequently do you collect the data?
Strategic Goal 1:
Strategic Goal 2:
Strategic Goal 3:
Benchmark 4: Crafting an Operating Plan

This Benchmark includes 6 items that measure the degree to which an organization uses collaborative, inclusive, and
strategic planning to guide the design and continuous evolution of wellness programs, policies, and practices. It helps
you understand how well your organization’s wellness goals and operations planning align with its strategic goals
and reflect its vision, values, and purpose. Creating a thoughtful operating plan and roadmap is an important part of
successfully implementing an effective employee wellness approach.
Benchmark 4 brings together the goals your leadership has for wellness in the organization with the data you
collected in Benchmark 3 to begin determining how you will evolve the wellness culture in your organization. The
operations plan for wellness initiatives should reflect the organization’s strategic business priorities, purpose and
values. Your plan should include your organization’s vision and mission statements for wellness, goals and rationale
for realizing your vision based on findings from Benchmark 3, the policies and practices you will employee to achieve
your goals, roles and responsibilities, budget information and a plan for measuring the success of your interventions.
All relevant internal employee groups and external stakeholder groups should feel empowered and accountable for
creating a comprehensive and effective approach to support employee wellness.
» Strategic Program Planning

» Strategic Planning for Environment, Programs, and Policies
S T R AT E G I C P R O G R A M P L A N N I N G
The Strategic Program Planning subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s
operations planning for wellness initiatives is tied to organization’s strategic priorities. There are no attachments or
open-ended items required for this subsection.
S T R AT E G I C P L A N N I N G F O R E N V I R O N M E N T, P R O G R A M S , A N D P O L I C I E S
The Strategic Planning for Environment, Programs, and Policies subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree
to which an organization’s operations planning for evolving a supportive environment, policies, and practices is tied
to the organization’s strategic priorities
All respondents are asked to provide information about the following:
Wellness goals for this program year
In Benchmark 1, we asked about the strategic goals of the organization related to employee wellness. These were your top three
goals (If you do not see a goal listed, it means you have not yet completed this section of Benchmark 1 and will need to do so before
proceeding.):
Organization Goal 1:
Now we are asking you to tell us what specific goals you have this year that will help you achieve your organization’s broader strategic
goals for wellness.
For example, if one of your strategic goals was to “Improve profitability of the organization,” you might decide that the way to tackle
this larger goal with your wellness approach is through boosting innovation by improving wellbeing and creativity. Therefore, you may
have a tactical goal for this year of “Implement new creativity and mindfulness programming.” That shorter-term specific tactical goal
is what you should populate below.
You do not have to address all of the broader strategic wellness goals you provided above with your annual operating plan goals.
Perhaps all of your tactical goals for this year align to just one of the three priorities you listed in Benchmark 1. However, you will be
scored on how aligned your annual goals are with what your organization is trying to achieve for wellness.
Please provide your wellness goals for this program year that help you achieve the strategic goals for wellness:
Wellness Goal for (strategic goal 1):

Upload Operating Plan Instructions
Please upload a copy (via word document or .pdf) of your company’s wellness operating plan. You can find an operating
plan template on WELCOA Resources here: welcoa.org/resources/wellness-program-operating-plan-template.
(Please Note: Your plan must include the eight sections that are highlighted below.)
Sections of the Operating Plan:
Vision Statement
In essence, the vision statement is simply a one or two sentence declarative on what you’d like your program to ultimately accomplish.
You told us about this vision statement in Benchmark 1 and it should be foundational to your operating plan. While many times
people struggle with the idea of developing the vision statement, it really doesn’t have to be so complicated. Literally, the word vision
means “to see.” Consequently, the vision statement is what you see in the future for your program.
Goals and Objectives

Your goals in your operating plan should be the goals that you just provided in question 68 above. Goals are broadly defined directions
of where you would like to take your wellness program. Objectives are short and concise clarifying statements. Clear measurable
objectives should define the direction of your program. Specifically, you must write SMART objectives.
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Achievable
R = Relevant
T = Time Based
Rationale
For your objectives, provide justification for choosing each objective based on your data analysis.
Timelines
After you determine the goals and objectives, you must define specific timelines for implementing all interventions that are included in
your Operating Plan.
Assignment of Responsibility
Identify specific responsibilities each team member will assume in the implementation of your wellness program.
Itemized Budget
Include your itemized wellness program budget that is a financial projection of expenses for programming included in your Operating Plan.
Communication Strategies
Include strategies such as written, oral, and electronic employee messages to be used to communicate your wellness program
interventions.
Evaluation
Include the evaluation methods that you plan to use to measure the results of each of your wellness interventions.
Benchmark 5: Choosing Initiatives that Support the Whole Employee
This Benchmark includes 38 items that measure the degree to which an organization’s wellness approach contains
comprehensive and compassionate initiatives that support employee autonomy and wellness. It is designed to help you
understand the current breadth of your organization’s initiatives for employee wellness. Successful approaches are
strategic, built upon current points of strength, designed to support employee needs, and help employees across the
health continuum live healthy and thriving lives that align with their own highly personal wellness goals.
Wellness is the active pursuit to understand and fulfill your individual human needs so you may reach a state
where you are flourishing and able to realize your full potential in all aspects of life. Benchmark 5 operates within
the core belief that every person has wellness aspirations. Aim to provide comprehensive wellness resources by
supporting employees in fulfilling their needs in seven areas: physical & mental health, meaning, safety, connection,
achievement, growth, and positivity. An ideal approach to supporting employee wellness is guided by the
organization’s core vision and purpose while supporting the purpose and values of employees.
» Caring Approach
» Autonomous Approach
» Comprehensive Approach
C A R I N G A P P R OAC H
The Caring Approach subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s approach to
wellness is grounded in genuine caring for its employees.
In Benchmark 4, we asked about the tactical annual goals you have for your wellness strateg y. Your three goals are listed for you
below. If you do not see a goal listed, that means you have not yet completed this section of Benchmark 4 and will need to do so before
proceeding.
Please describe the initiatives that you have chosen to address each of your goals below. These should be the same initiatives that you
described in your operating plan.
Please describe your wellness initiatives that address the wellness goal 1:
AU TO N O M O U S A P P R OAC H
The Autonomous Approach subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which employees in an organization
are encouraged to choose their own path to wellness. There are no attachments or open-ended items required for this
subsection.
CO M P R E H E N S I V E A P P R OAC H
The Comprehensive Approach subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s wellness
approach supports the full spectrum of health and wellness. There are no attachments or open-ended items required
for this subsection.
Benchmark 6: Supportive Health Promoting Environments,
Policies, and Practices
This section of the Award application includes 44 items that represent the degree to which an organization’s work
environment, policies, benefits, and practices embody support for employee wellness. Efforts to support healthy
employees include evaluating policies, practices, and promotions to ensure the environment helps foster a successful
wellness initiative. It is grounded in the core vision and purpose of the organization. Successful approaches align the
wellness culture throughout the organization to ensure resources, interventions, and the experience at work all align
in support of employee wellness.
An ideal approach to fostering supportive environment, policies, and practices is grounded in the core vision and
purpose of the organization. Consideration is given to the wellness of employees, their families, and communities.
Aim to align wellness culture touchpoints (values, norms, artifacts, etc.) throughout the organization so that
employees feel a sense of consistency between the interventions and resources you choose in Benchmark 5 and
their experience in the built environment and culture of your organization. The workplace environment should be
designed to support the basic human needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competence, and to build connections,
strengthen relationships, and reinforce team collaboration.
» Work Environment
» Employee and Family Benefits
» Culture Touchpoints
» Policies and Practices
» Supportive Atmosphere
» Socially Responsible Business Practices
(Note: Many items allow upload of both essays and/or photos)
WO R K E N V I R O N M E N T
The Work Environment subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization has aligned its
environment, policies, and practices in support of employee wellness
Potential attachments and open-ended items include:
If your answer to the question below is “Very true” or “Mostly true”

Our worksite has healthy, enjoyable, and safe outdoor spaces.
Please provide examples of your healthy outdoor spaces
Please upload photos that show your healthy outdoor spaces (optional)
Upload smoke‐free campus policy (optional)

Our worksite has a healthy indoor physical environment.
Please provide examples of your healthy indoor physical environment
Please upload photos that show examples of your healthy indoor physical environment (optional)

Our worksite design encourages healthy eating.
Please provide examples of how your worksite design encourages healthy eating
Please upload photos that show how your worksite design encourages healthy eating (optional)
Our worksite provides access to private spaces.
Please provide examples of your worksite’s private spaces
Please upload photos that show examples of your worksite’s private spaces (optional)

Our worksite design encourages physical activity and minimizes sedentary behavior.
Please provide examples of how your worksite design encourages physical activity
Please upload photos that show examples of how your worksite design encourages physical activity (optional)

Our worksite has healthy workstation characteristics.
Please provide examples of your worksite’s healthy workstation characteristics
Please upload photos that show examples of your worksite’s healthy workstation characteristics (optional)

Our workplace design promotes connection, collaboration, and social interaction.
Please provide examples of how your workplace design promotes connection and collaboration.
Please upload photos that show examples of how your workplace design promotes connection and collaboration (optional).
E M P LOY E E A N D FA M I LY B E N E F I T S
The Employee and Family Benefits subsection of this Benchmark assesses whether an organization’s benefits support
the wellness of employees and their families.

Please provide some additional explanation for how benefits are aligned to support wellness.
C U LT U R E TO U C H P O I N T S
The Culture Touchpoints subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which there are wellness culture
touchpoints (values, norms, artifacts, etc.) throughout the organization.
If your answer to the question below is “Strongly agree” or “Agree”

We have traditions that support employee health and wellness.
Please provide examples of traditions that support employee health and wellness.
Please upload photos that show examples that support employee health and wellness (optional).
If your answer to the question below is “Strongly agree” or “Agree”

People are rewarded and recognized for efforts to live a healthy lifestyle.
Please provide examples of how people are rewarded and recognized for efforts to live a healthy lifestyle.
Please upload photos that show examples of how people are rewarded and recognized for efforts to live a healthy lifestyle (optional).
P O L I C I E S A N D P R AC T I C E S
The Policies and Practices subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s policies and
practices are designed to support employee wellness.
If your answer to the question below is “Very true” or Somewhat true”

Our leaders create and/or follow policies that promote wellness and work/life balance.
…and/or your answer to the following question is “yes”
We offer flexibility in work scheduling and time off.
Please upload example/s of any policies created to promote wellness and work/life balance.
S U P P O R T I V E ATM O S P H E R E
The Supportive Atmosphere subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization has a
supportive social atmosphere. There are no attachments or open-ended items required for this subsection.
S O C I A L LY R E S P O N S I B L E B U S I N E S S P R AC T I C E S
The Social Responsibility subsection of this Benchmark assesses whether an organization follows basic sustainable
and socially responsible business practices. There are no attachments or open-ended items required for this
subsection.
Benchmark 7: Conduct Evaluation, Communicate, Celebrate, and Iterate

This section of the Award application includes 45 items that represent the degree to which an organization measures and
communicates about what matters in support of decision-making, momentum, and sustainability.
While Benchmark 3 was about collecting data to help you understand what interventions and resources could help you
achieve your wellness goals, Benchmark 7 is about measuring the success of those interventions after implementation.
Your evaluation should help you determine the success of your wellness efforts and inform ongoing improvements to your
programs and initiatives. This information should be communicated to all employees, leaders and stakeholders. Success in
this benchmark is characterized by developing a value story for wellness in your organization that outlines opportunities for
progress and the learnings that will give rise to new and innovative ideas or possibilities for achieving your unique goals.
» Evaluation Strategy
» Workforce Outcomes
» Workplace Outcomes
» Quality of Wellness Programs and Resources
» Progress Toward Vision
» Communication of Findings
» Celebrate Success
» Continuous Improvement
E VA LUAT I O N S T R AT E GY
The Evaluation Strategy subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization has a
comprehensive evaluation strategy in place.

Please provide an example of your comprehensive evaluation plan.
WO R K F O R C E O U TCO M E S
The Workforce Outcomes subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization assesses
meaningful outcomes that reflect employee wellness. There are no attachments or open-ended items required for this
subsection.
WO R K P L AC E O U TCO M E S
The Workplace Outcomes subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization assesses
meaningful outcomes that reflect support for wellness in the workplace.

Please submit an example of your outcomes report(s).
Q UA L I T Y O F W E L L N E S S P R O G R A M S A N D R E S O U R C E S
The Quality of Wellness Programs and Resources subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an
organization uses rigorous quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods to assess program quality. There are no
attachments or open-ended items required for this subsection.
P R O G R E S S TOWA R D V I S I O N
The Progress Toward Vision subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization’s
evaluation measures progress toward its vision for wellness. There are no attachments or open-ended items required
for this subsection.
CO M M U N I C AT I O N O F F I N D I N G S
The Communication of Findings subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization
celebrates the successes of its wellness efforts.

Please submit an example of your reporting and communications strateg y.
C E L E B R AT E S U CC E S S
The Celebrate Success subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization celebrates the
successes of its wellness efforts. There are no attachments or open-ended items required for this subsection.
CO N T I N U O U S I M P R OV E M E N T
The Continuous Improvement subsection of this Benchmark measures the degree to which an organization uses
evaluation findings to improve its wellness approaches.

Please describe your continuous improvement process.
Final Submission
Once you have completed all of the sections of
the Award application, you can submit your
responses using the “Submit” button located at
the bottom of the navigation menu on the left
side of the screen.

Well Workplace Awards Users Guide

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Well Workplace Awards Users Guide

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Well Workplace Awards Users Guide

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

W E LL

WELCOA’s Definition of Wellness

WELCOA’s Well Workplace Strategic Framework

Accountable stakeholders participate

TABLE 1. CORE APPROACH FOR EACH BENCHM ARK

BENCHM ARKS CO R E A P P R OAC H

Employee wellness reflected in your organization’s vision,

Create an accountability structure for your wellness

Define wellness goals and create a planning process that

Benchmark 6: Supportive Health Promoting Determine improvements in your environment, policies,

Organizations that have previously completed

TABLE 2. WELCOA’S 7 BENCHM ARKS & SUBSECTION AREAS

BENCHM ARKS SUBSECTION AREAS

Benchmark 2: Collaboration in Support of Wellness Team Structure

Benchmark 3: Collecting Meaningful Data to Evolve a Measures that Matter

Benchmark 4: Crafting an Operating Plan Strategic Program Planning

Benchmark 5: Choosing Initiatives that Support the Caring Approach

Benchmark 6: Supportive Health Promoting Work Environment

Benchmark 7: Conduct Evaluation, Communicate, Evaluation Strategy

Sections in this Benchmark include:

Potential attachments and open-ended items:

All respondents are asked to…

Potential attachments and open-ended items:

All respondents are asked for the following information:

LEADER ROLE MODELING

Potential attachments and open-ended items:

Potential attachments and open-ended items:

Potential attachments and open-ended items:

Potential attachments and open-ended items:

Benchmark 2: Collaboration in Support of Wellness

Sections in this Benchmark include:

Potential attachments and open-ended items:

All respondents are asked:

Potential attachments and open-ended items:

If your answer to the question below is “yes”

If your answer to the question below is “yes”

Potential attachments and open-ended items:

If your answer to either question below is “yes”

If your answer to the question below is “yes”

If your answer to the question below is “yes”

Benchmark 3: Collecting Meaningful Data to Evolve a Wellness Strategy

Sections in this Benchmark include:

» Measures that Matter

Potential attachments and open-ended items:

All respondents are asked for the following information:

Data collection details

Benchmark 4: Crafting an Operating Plan

Sections in this Benchmark include:

» Strategic Program Planning

Potential attachments and open-ended items:

All respondents are asked to provide information about the following:

Wellness goals for this program year

Wellness Goal for (strategic goal 1):

Sections of the Operating Plan:

Goals and Objectives

Sections in this Benchmark include:

Potential attachments and open-ended items:

All respondents are asked to provide information about the following:

Sections in this Benchmark include: