by Kathleen LeGrys | Sep 25, 2017
If you’ve ever considered moving into corporate wellness as a health coach, you’re going to love this article.
My guest expert today is Lisa Kelly of Kelly Consulting. I’ve known Lisa for a few years now, and she is one of the most knowledgeable people I know when it comes to corporate wellness. I know this is an area of great interest to many health coaches, so I reached out to Lisa so she could share some of her wisdom and strategies with you.
As a health coach, you strive to cultivate the personal health and wellness of your clients and help them become the very best versions of themselves. The daily pressures and demands of work, however, greatly impact their time/ability to focus on making positive changes. Similarly, high stress and toxic work environments have a dramatic impact on the health, well-being, and happiness of employees. This often results in poor work performance that ultimately affects the success of the organization and is costly in terms of outcomes and health claims. In fact, statistics show that unhappy workers cost the U.S. up to $550 Billion a year.1
Sadly, we don’t need statistics to point out the obvious. Many employees attest first hand to the negative impact job demands are having on their health and life today.
Working longer days, the inability to disconnect from work, and the demands and expectations put upon employees to “do more with less,” is dramatically affecting the physical and emotional well-being of employees today. Work-life balance is becoming elusive and more difficult to make a reality and it is evident that employee and organizational productivity is becoming a casualty as a result.
More than ever, there is an urgent need for the presence of corporate health coaches and consultants or what I like to refer to as “Corporate Wellness Change Agents” in the workplace.
This is where YOU can come in!
Simply put, organizations today and their employees need YOU – many employers may not even realize just how much!
As a health coach/corporate wellness change agent, you can play a pivotal role in creating healthy, vibrant work environments. The kind of work environment that creates the conditions for healthy, happy employees – employees who bring their best selves to work, have a “growth mindset,” and take ownership of both personal and corporate well-being, the pre-cursors for thriving employees and organizations.
YOU can help make a difference!
Kelly Goodwin, CWWA and Number Ten employees, Heart and Stroke Big Bike Race
Workplace Wellness is a very multi-dimensional and comprehensive industry. As Corporate Wellness Change Agents, to effectively serve the varied needs of both organizations and their employees, you will be likely be involved in a broad range of wellness solutions addressing Physical, Emotional, Career, Social, Financial and Community Well-being to name a few.
5 Strategies for Moving into Corporate Wellness
There are numerous success strategies that can help health coaches position themselves for lucrative and rewarding employment/contract opportunities across the globe.
Engaging in the following will help prepare and successfully position you for a variety of corporate wellness opportunities with your employer or client organizations.
1. Certification training and skill development
Developing your knowledge, skills, and resources in corporate wellness through a comprehensive, experiential-based training program will catapult you ahead of the competition and effectively prepare you for employment and consulting opportunities in this industry.
2. Network – build relationships – identify Workplace Wellness opportunities
- Join community and professional networking groups – offer to present at their meetings (Lunch and Learns are a great option).
- Network and build relationships using social media groups such as LinkedIn
- Prepare and share corporate wellness related articles with LinkedIn and other contacts to nurture professional relationships and help establish you as an expert or leader in the field
- Post your articles in LinkedIn Pulse or Huffington Post (be sure to insert a short bio)
Promotional display by Stephanie Flanders-Martin, CMWA at a professional networking meeting.
3. Utilize compelling marketing resources and strategies
- YOUR USP – unique selling proposition (i.e. 30 Second Marketing Pitch)
- Professionally prepared bio page
- Corporate Wellness targeted resumes
- Professional print or digital brochures
- Customized, employer-specific proposals
4. Identify employer wellness needs and present targeted solutions
- Research employer prospects via websites, LinkedIn pages, and industry articles
- Identify employer/employee pain points via face-to-face Discovery Meeting(s)
- Engage “Consultative Selling” techniques in Discovery Meetings (i.e. to understand their needs before selling your programs or services to them)
- Prepare and deliver in-person presentation(s) of employer-centric, results-oriented corporate wellness solution
- Follow up with employer(s) every few weeks – it can often take up to ten or more touch points and follow-ups to get them to realize the merits/necessity of workplace wellness for their organization and the value of your programs and services.
Don’t give up! Remember, they need YOU, even if they have not realized it yet – they will. Be patient and keep the lines of communication open with them!
5. Develop customizable Workplace Wellness toolkits
To prepare and position yourself for future corporate wellness contracts or employment opportunities you will want to have a comprehensive set of customizable workplace wellness assessments/evaluations, audits, policy templates, Lunch and Learns and Wellness campaigns, etc. in your toolkit. Having a robust corporate wellness toolkit at your fingertips will help you to be professionally ready, prepared, and confident in your interviews/presentations and enable you to hit the ground running when an employer is ready to interview or hire you!
In closing, there has never been a better time to consider a career as a “Corporate Wellness Change Agent”! As emphasized, employers/employees, need you, you just have to show them how much!
About the Author:
“Lisa Kelly, President, Kelly Wellness Consulting Inc., has been cultivating healthy changes within workplaces and with personal clients for over 20 years. Through her “Workplace Wellness Ambassador Certification Programs,” Lisa’s mission is to create an innovative and collaborative landscape for global workplace wellness that fosters employee-driven, results-oriented wellness solutions benefiting employers, employees, and communities at large.”
Footnote:
- https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/246036
Note: This post includes an affiliate link which means if you make a purchase, I may earn a commission. I only recommend programs and services I believe in, but do your own research to determine what’s best for you.
