Recruiting Companies for HealthLinks:

Transcription

1 Recruiting Cmpanies fr HealthLinks: Tips fr Getting Started Create a pitch Get t knw HealthLinks (including prgrams, materials, recmmendatins, surveys, etc.) as well as yu can befre yu reach ut t any cmpanies. The mre cnfident yu feel, the better! See ur Develping yur HealthLinks pitch dc fr ideas, key pints, and sample pitch scripts. Adapt these scripts t fit yur persnal style. Plish yur pitch Cnsider creating a phne versin (likely a shrter elevatr speech, with the gal f scheduling an inpersn meeting) and an in-persn versin Practice with thers befre yu reach ut t the cmmunity If yu and a clleague will be recruiting cmpanies as a pair, plan ut wh will cver each tpic at inpersn meetings The key t a successful pitch is t pay clse attentin t bth verbal and nn-verbal cues frm yur audience different peple will be interested in different aspects f the prgram, and different wrksites have different pririties What kinds f cmpanies have mst success with HealthLinks? As yu start reaching ut t yur lcal cmmunity abut HealthLinks, we recmmend targeting the cmpanies that are mst likely t have success with the prgram. Size: HealthLinks was develped fr single wrksites with emplyees. If yu want t mve beynd this size range in either directin, larger wrksites (mre than 250 emplyees) are a better bet. Regardless f ttal cmpany size, we have fund that cmpany lcatins with fewer than 20 emplyees ften struggle t implement HealthLinks. Industries: We have fund that rganizatins in health care, scial assistance, arts, and educatin are generally easier t recruit than many ther industries. That said, all cmpanies deserve a great wellness prgram, and all kinds have had success with HealthLinks. Decisin-making pwer: If yu are wrking with an emplyer that has multiple branches r lcatins, it is critical t determine whether the site yu are wrking with has decisin-making authrity abut health-related plicies and prgrams. It s fine if they can t change their insurance fferings, but it s best if they are able t institute new plicies, r hst prgrams if they chse t. It s easiest if yu can wrk directly with cmpany headquarters. If yu are nt wrking with headquarters, find ut hw much decisin-making pwer this lcatin has. Fr example, at yur pitch meeting yu can ask: If yu wanted t start a new plicy r best practice abut healthy fd ptins at staff meetings, fr example, wuld yu be able t d that at this lcatin, r wuld yu have t run everything thrugh HQ in Bise?

2 Off-site emplyees: HealthLinks largely fcuses n changing the wrksite envirnment. Given this, cmpanies where mst emplyees wrk ff-site smetimes struggle with implementing HealthLinks (an example wuld be an emplyer f hme health aides). We generally ask emplyers whether at least 20% f their staff reprt t the wrksite at least nce a week; if nt, HealthLinks might nt be a gd fit fr them. Hw t find interested cmpanies, and get pitch meetings Warm Strategies: The easiest rute t an in-persn pitch meeting is usually thrugh a warm cnnectin (smene yu already knw). Cld can wrk well, t, but flush ut all the warm cnnectins yu can think f. Bearing in mind the kinds f cmpanies that tend t have success with HealthLinks, d yu knw smene already wrking at an rganizatin like this? Or smene wh knws smene wh des? Smetimes a friend, r yur favrite bank teller, r a frmer clleague, r a neighbr can cnnect yu t a cmpany interested in a free wrkplace wellness prgram. Keep yur ears pen and be prepared t talk abut HealthLinks anytime, with anyne. Cld Strategies: Lcal Netwrking: Once yu have even ne cmpany signed up fr HealthLinks, ask if they can think f ther lcal businesses that wuld be interested (it desn t get much warmer than a recmmendatin frm a fellw business-wner!). Bearing in mind which kinds f rganizatins tend t have success with HealthLinks, identify cmpanies in yur lcal cmmercial districts that likely fit the criteria, and either call them up r drp ff a HealthLinks ne-pager in persn. If yu drp ff materials, make a nte and call the cmpany after a day r tw t find ut if they have any questins. Gatekeepers and cld calls: Understandably, a lt f cmpanies have a system in place t prtect their emplyees frm randm calls frm strangers. If yu re calling an rganizatin cld, whenever pssible ask t be cnnected t smene specific (an internet search can ften prvide the name f smene in HR, r in cmpany leadership, fr example). If this persn is nt a decisin maker, they can likely cnnect yu t smene wh is. Cnsider cntacting lcal chambers f cmmerce, ecnmic develpment bureaus, r reginal business jurnals. Ask abut upcming meetings with lcal business leaders, and find ut if yu can attend and make a shrt presentatin abut HealthLinks (r even just distribute fliers). Cntact lcal Human Resurces rgs t find ut abut meetings yu can attend, r pprtunities t pst an item abut HealthLinks n a webpage. These rgs range frm infrmal rundtables t fficial branches f SHRM (Sciety fr Human Resurce Management). Als cnsider wrking thrugh industry-specific grups (arts rganizatins, health fairs, etc.), r ther cmmunity grups, such as a lcal Elks Ldge r Lins Club. Find ut if yu can pst an item in a free cmmunity newsletter, r get n a lcal radi prgram t talk fr a few minutes abut the pprtunity t participate in HealthLinks.

3 In general: Cast a wide net! Yu never knw which cnnectins r strategies will be mst effective. What t bring t yur pitch meeting A pitch sheet ne-pager which describes HealthLinks and can be left behind with yur cmpany cntact A ntes sheet fr yu t recrd imprtant infrmatin (an upcming ffice renvatin, cntact s preferred methd f cmmunicatin, etc.) Ntes abut any pen questins t be answered (d they have enugh n-site emplyees fr the prgram t make sense, etc.) A cpy f the HealthLinks Memrandum f Understanding (MOU) fr the cmpany t sign when they agree t participate in HealthLinks (this can be left behind with yur cntact, if they want time t cnsider) A cpy f the Emplyer Assessment survey, in case the wrksite cntact is ready t start immediately (we d nt recmmend leaving this behind, as yu will administer it live with yur cntact, and yu d nt want them t begin cmpleting it n their wn) Overcming cmpany cncerns during recruitment Be flexible Be prepared t cme back and meet with different levels f management within the same rganizatin. When in dubt, it s always gd t make sure yu have CEO buy-in fr HealthLinks. Have respnses wrked ut ahead f time: I am srry this isn t a gd time fr us right nw. Sure, when wuld yu like me t check back with yu next week, next mnth? Write this n yur calendar. Never expect a cmpany t take the initiative t call yu back, even if they re interested. Can yu just me sme infrmatin? Actually, I will be in yur area this week. Will yu be arund if I drp the infrmatin ff arund 2 PM? Great I ll see yu then. Yu just scheduled a pitch! I dn t think any f ur staff wuld be interested. Yu might be surprised! But yu knw, there are aspects f HealthLinks that dn t require staff participatin. We culd fcus n health cmmunicatin effrts, imprving plices, and ffering healthier fds during meetings r in vending machines, and see where things g frm there. Well, I wuld have t get this apprved by my manager and I am nt sure if she will g fr it.

4 Understandable. Is there any particular aspect f this prgram yu re cncerned abut? I wuld be mre than happy t cme back and meet with yur manager r yur safety / wellness cmmittee abut the benefits f this prgram. If they had any questins they culd ask me directly. Many f ur emplyees dn t have internet r , and they dn t all take the same lunch break. We wuldn t be able t use mst f HealthLinks services. The HealthLinks prgram is very flexible and has been designed t fit yur needs. Fr example, even thugh ur presentatins are called Lunch & Learns, they dn t have t happen during lunch. Many cmpanies find it easier t include time fr HealthLinks presentatins during staff meetings r trainings. I culd cme at multiple times n the same day r different days t capture yur whle staff. We can wrk tgether t find wellness activities that wuld best suit yur wrksite. We have seven lcatins in this cunty. Can yu wrk with all f them? Usually the way HealthLinks wrks is that I partner with smene at yur headquarters lcatin, and tgether we figure ut hw yu can get the prgram ut t all yur lcatins. It can be pretty fun t get sme site-t-site cmpetitins ging during a pedmeter challenge, fr example! In sme cases I culd stp by sme f yur ther lcatins t drp ff materials r d a lunchtime presentatin, but in general I ll be wrking with yur HQ. Yu can take this issue n a case-by-case basis smetimes the HQ is a very small admin ffice, and it makes mre sense t d mst f yur prgram activities at the lcatin with the mst n-site emplyees. And sme cmpanies nly want HealthLinks at ne lcatin, anyway. Frm the start, cnsider what yu can d t make the prgram sustainable fr the cmpany nce yu re gne. Fr multi-site cmpanies that ften means helping them figure ut hw t run a multi-site wellness prgram, withut yu (r anyne else) being frced t travel all ver kingdm cme! Next steps after yur pitch meeting If the cmpany needs time t cnsider, agree n a timeframe ( shall I check back in abut a week t see if yu have any questins? ), and mark yur calendar. If they are interested, but need CEO permissin, ffer t cme back fr an in-persn meeting with the CEO. Get this scheduled as sn as reasnably pssible. If they are interested and ready t start, ask them t sign the MOU (an agreement, nt a legal dcument) and schedule a time fr yu and the cmpany cntact t cmplete the Emplyer Assessment tgether (allw abut an hur t cmplete this, in persn). If they are interested but want t delay participating (this is usually nt a gd sign), get a firm date that they think they wuld be ready t start, put it n yur calendar, and re-cntact them at that time. If they have questins yu're unable t answer, nte their questins and hw best t get back t them with answers. If they refuse nw r at any time, thank them fr their time and cnsideratin.

5 Cmmunicatin When cmmunicating with cmpanies, use several frms f cmmunicatin. After the pitch, ask them abut the best way t reach them d they prefer r phne? Dn t be afraid t use the phne. Smetimes scheduling appintments can be dne much quicker ver the phne than by ing back and frth. When leaving vice mails, make sure t give enugh detail s that yur cntact can respnd with an actin if they need t leave yu a message. Give dates and times f when yu wuld like t schedule an appintment Include fllw-up questins Crdinating Fllw-up Meetings It s always easier t schedule yur next appintment when yu and the cmpany cntact are in the same rm, s bring yur calendar t meetings. r call t fllw up after a drp ff: I drpped ff sme HealthLinks infrmatin. Did yu have a chance t lk it ver? D yu have any questins? Let s schedule a time next week t talk abut HealthLinks in mre detail. Fllw up after the pitch via r phne: Hell, I was just checking in t see if yu ve decided t participate in HealthLinks, r if there were any questins I culd answer. Overall Always be excited, mtivating, persnable and ready t share a wellness success stry even if it s small Be flexible, and as much as pssible wrk arund the wrksite s schedule and pririties