Manager Support for Wellness Champions: A Case Study for Consideration and Practice Implications.

Background: Wellness champion networks are deemed an important component to workplace wellness programs. By encouraging colleagues to engage in healthy behaviors, champions can help improve employee health and well-being outcomes, while reducing healthcare costs and increasing productivity. However, little evidence exists regarding factors that impact the effectiveness of a wellness champion. This study examined the relationship between employee engagement in a workplace wellness champion program and the direct manager's support of the wellness champion role.

Methods: A descriptive study was conducted with a 15-item cross-sectional survey that was developed and disseminated to 470 wellness champions at a large academic institution. Survey questions addressed manager/supervisor support for the wellness champion, manager/supervisor support for faculty and staff direct reports participating in wellness activities, and demographic questions.

Findings: One hundred and ninety-nine (42%) wellness champions responded to the survey and responded to at least half of the questions. Wellness champions who reported a high level of manager support for their role were more likely to have high levels of engagement in communicating wellness initiatives ( = .0004), motivating and encouraging colleagues ( < .0001), and planning wellness activities ( = .04).

Conclusion/application To Practice: Findings suggested that support wellness champions received from direct managers was a key determinant to their level of engagement in efforts to improve their colleagues' health and well-being. As employers desire to impact the health and productivity of their employees and generate cost-savings, manager support of wellness champions is necessary to facilitate employee engagement in workplace wellness champion programs.