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Workplace Health System - The Small Business Health Model

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Try It On For Size!

When most people shop for clothes, they try them on first to decide what colour, size or style suits them best. The Small Business Health Model was designed with this thought in mind - that small businesses would welcome a health promotion program they could try on for size. And if the program doesn't exactly fit, it can be altered to suit your business's needs.

This approach allows small businesses within a community to get involved with health promotion in the workplace one step at a time. Participating small businesses set the pace and choose a level of involvement they feel comfortable with. In other words, the small business community controls the project.

The Small Business Health Model is an approach to health promotion developed by Health Canada and coordinated through provincial ministries and agencies. This overview describes the steps and answers the most common questions about the Small Business Health Model. Once you know more about it, we think you'll agree it's a practical, healthy way of doing business.

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The Workplace Health System

The Small Business Health Model is part of Health Canada's Workplace Health System. This System is a comprehensive approach to health promotion programming and rests on the following five principles:

  • meet the needs of all employees, regardless of their current level of health;
  • recognize the needs, preferences and attitudes of different groups of participants;
  • recognize that an individual's "lifestyle" is made up of an interdependent set of health habits;
  • be adaptable to the special features of each workplace environment; and
  • support the development of a strong overall health policy in the workplace.

The Workplace Health System brings together three factors that influence how well people say they feel:

1) Environment or surroundings:

Factors in the home or work environment that affect employee health, such as air, noise and light conditions, the quality of machinery and equipment, the type of work, responsibilities at work, relations with supervisors and co-workers, and relations with family at home.

2) Personal resources:

The sense of influence employees feel they have over their health and work, how much social support they feel they receive from others, and the degree to which they actively participate in improving their own health.

3) Health practices:

Practices that affect health, including exercise, smoking, drinking, sleeping and eating habits, as well as the use of medication and other drugs.

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What Do We Mean By Small Business?

There are many definitions for small business. For the purposes of the Small Business Health Model, "small business" means up to 100 employees. This does not exclude, however, larger businesses from participating in the community small business health initiative. The Model has also been designed to include micro-businesses - those with 10 employees or less.

Why Health Programming For Small Businesses?

The small business sector employs half the Canadian workforce and is expected to account for 80 percent of all future jobs ... in short, the small business sector is BIG business for the Canadian economy.

Because people employed in small business spend two-thirds of their waking hours on the job, the impact of the workplace on their health is enormous. In turn, their level of health has a big impact on how efficiently they perform, and how much they are getting out of life on and off the job.

While the small business workplace is therefore an obvious place to promote health, few small businesses have the resources to provide on-site health promotion programming - or to offer their employees the same health-related benefits as corporations.

It was to address this difference that the Small Business Health Model was developed.

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Why The Community-Based Approach?

Basically, it's a matter of strength in numbers. By joining together within each community, small businesses can share responsibilities and resources. The community-based approach means small businesses can enjoy the benefits of comprehensive health promotion programming once reserved only for large corporations.

What Are The Benefits ???

... for participating employees?

Employees and their families can learn how to increase control over and improve their health in a supportive and enjoyable environment. Employees are given the opportunity to specify the health-related issues that are important to them and also what kind of health promotion programming they prefer.

... for participating companies?

Participation in health promotion programs is good for team-building. Also, educating employees and employers about healthy lifestyle choices and how to create a healthy workplace environment can result in a more pleasant place to work. It makes sense that if an employee drinks less, gets a little more sleep, smokes less, exercises a little more and suffers less stress he/she will probably be a happier and more productive employee - and that makes everyone at home and at the workplace feel better.

... for participating communities?

The Small Business Health Model can help the community at large to work effectively toward improved health by sharing resources, ideas and responsibilities. The network of small businesses, service groups and volunteers becomes a valuable, lasting community resource.

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How Does The Small Business Health Model Work?

In steps. Steps you take at your own pace, and according to the resources the small business community can make available at any given time.

  • Orientation
  • Getting Organized
  • Needs Assessment
  • Workplace Health Profile
  • Small Business Health Plan (2 - 3 years)
  • Program Action Plan (annual)
  • Progress Review

Step one: Orientation

Generally, the process begins when an individual, a group of small businesses or a group of health service providers hears or reads about the Small Business Health Model and contacts potential small businesses, health agencies, and community and business associations who might be interested.

If the response at the community level is positive, the next step is to call in the experts. Health Canada's partner in your province - a designated provincial agency - will come to your community to explain to the interested parties what the Small Business Health Model is all about. Those interested in participating will be asked to indicate how involved they would like to become in putting the Small Business Health Model into action. The level of commitment can vary.

Step tow: Getting Organized

A coordinating agency is required to provide local leadership and coordinate health promotion initiatives. A small business health committee will also be needed to advise and assist the coordinating agency. The small business health committee will have as members small business employees and employers, as well as representatives from health agencies and community and business associations.

Experience has shown that small businesses sometimes prefer to "try the model on for size" before choosing their level of involvement. Holding a promotional/introductory health promotion event allows the coordinating agency, small business health committee and other participants to "get their feet wet". Such events are optional, but they are a good way of building public interest and awareness, gaining credibility for the Small Business Health Model within the community and attracting volunteers.

Patience is key during the organization phase. Experience has shown that building from a solid base of support within the community ensures a solid long-term commitment to the project.

Step three: Needs Assessment

At the core of the Small Business Health Model is an employee health questionnaire. The survey results provide the coordinating agency and small business health committee with invaluable information upon which to base a future course. The questionnaire's 37 questions deal with the whole spectrum of health-related attitudes and practices. As well, some of the survey's questions can be customized by adding extra options that deal with particular health-related concerns in your community and in your business.

In particular, the survey assesses employees' beliefs and attitudes about their health in three areas: their environment or surroundings, their sense of influence over their health and work situation, and their health practices.

The Small Business Health Model makes provision for the questionnaires to be analyzed by an outside firm. This approach puts employees at ease because they know their responses are going to be kept confidential.

Ensuring confidentiality goes a long way towards having the majority of employees respond. That's important for two reasons: it means the data derived from the survey are accurate; and it gets employees involved in the process right from the start. Employees then rightfully feel that the program activities will respond to their actual needs and that they had a say in setting the direction in which the overall program will take.

Step four: Workplace Health Profile

The outside firm that tabulates survey results will hand over to the coordinating agency a comprehensive Workplace Health Profile, which is then distributed to members of the small business health committee and all the participating businesses. The Profile represents the compiled responses of all employees in the participating small businesses.

The Profile contains a general report and up to seven special reports (Stress, Health and Safety Concerns at Work, Physical Activity, Weight, Smoking, Drinking, Medication Use). The general report provides an overview of the responses given by employees to each survey question. In the special reports, responses to specific questions are linked with responses to other questions.

Take the special report on stress as an example. This report compares the level of stress employees say they feel with how much employees say they drink, smoke, how many children they have, type of work they perform, etc. By identifying the root causes of stress, by looking at the characteristics of employees who say they are suffering from undue stress, the Workplace Health Profile provides a valuable tool for identifying the unnecessary and unproductive "stressors" at work and at home.

Programming can then be developed to limit unnecessary sources of stress, leaving in place only those stressors that are a normal and unavoidable part of their work.

Step five: Small Business Health Plan

Now with a comprehensive profile of what employees' needs are, the coordinating agency, working with the small business health committee and participating small businesses, has the tools to draw up an effective long-term strategy for addressing health in the workplace issues. Going the long-term route provides a realistic framework for tackling large as well as small health-related issues. While some pressing health concerns might be addressed in the first year's plan, others can be slated for a year or two down the road.

The small business health plan determines what health issues the community of small businesses will take on together. To be effective, the plan will address all three of the previously mentioned avenues of influence on a person's health: their environment, their sense of influence over their health and work, and their health practices.

Each company is encouraged to carry out in-house activities for their own employees as part of the small business community health promotion programs. Regardless of the size of the business, there are many practical inexpensive activities that can be carried out at the workplace.

Step six: Program Action Plan

The Action Plan translates the Health Plan into programs, policies and activities. Each year, the coordinating agency - in consultation with the small business health committee and participating small business employees and employers - develops a new Action Plan. Each Action Plan relates back to the long-term direction set out in the Health Plan and responds as well to new issues that may arise over time.

Involving employees who want to be involved is the key. If employees have a say in setting up the programming, they develop an interest in its success. The Small Business Health Model offers advice on how to motivate employees to become active in improving and sustaining their own health.

Step seven: Progress Review

The last phase of the Small Business Health Model is the ongoing task of ensuring that the health programming set up is effective and remains relevant. To help your organization with this review, Health Canada provides evaluation tools and guidelines.

Model Development and Testing

The Small Business Health Model was developed through testing in five communities across the country. The following sites represented a variety of community settings, structures and environments:

  • Berwick, Nova Scotia
  • St. Henri (Montreal), Quebec
  • Cornwall, Ontario
  • Portage la Prairie, Manitoba
  • Old Strathcona (Edmonton), Alberta

The field test sites explored and experimented with new and existing health promotion programs and methods of delivery to meet the varying needs and preferences of small business owners and employees. Small businesses continue to benefit from the insights gained during the implementation of the Model in other communities across the country.

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How Much Does It Cost?

The cost varies, but usually it can be kept surprisingly low by simply using existing resources within the community. The costs of programming will depend entirely on how much those involved in the Model feel is affordable. The emphasis should be on coming up with creative and imaginative programs that have little or no cost. It can be done!

How Can You Find Out More?

Contact the Work and Education Health Promotion Unit of Health Canada. This Unit can tell you what provincial ministry or agency to contact to help you try on the Small Business Health Model for size.

The Small Business Health Model is just one way of putting the principles and all three avenues that influence employee health into practice. Health Canada has also developed a Farm Business Health Model for farmers, their families and employees and a Corporate Health Model for larger businesses.

Another resource in the Workplace Health System - Corporate Challenge - can become part of programming for the Small Business, the Farm Business or the Corporate Health Model, or can be operated independently. Corporate Challenge is an awareness program which sees employers and employees alike participate in a fun-filled day of health activities.

For more information on any of these program components, write to Health Canada at the address below.

Health Promotion in the Workplace Unit
Health Canada
Jeanne Mance Building
Tunney's Pasture
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1B4

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