A Different Kind of Lean Initiative
By Kathy Lash, clinical department manager, Radiation Oncology
 Last fall, a colleague mentioned joining Weight Watchers at Work (WW@Work). I decided to join, too. I soon realized that this program was a perfect fit with our Health System goal of encouraging a healthier staff and our strategic principle Taking Care of Our Own.
So in October 2005, I received permission to use money budgeted for professional/personal development courses to pay for Radiation Oncology employees to join the WW@Work program. The department would pay the full cost of an employee’s first session and 50 percent for additional sessions. Then, I sent a department-wide e-mail to gauge interest—without indicating the department would cover costs. Eleven people said they were in, and a phenomenon was born!
The results have exceeded expectations. The group has grown to 40 total members joining, with 15 in the current session. As of Aug. 2, the department had lost a total of 494 pounds, and everyone, from management to administration to frontline staff, has come together to support this effort. Support staff orders healthier foods for meetings and celebrations. People assign POINTS® values* to food brought into
the office. Supervisors shift schedules to ensure participants can attend meetings. We’ve built an extra 30 minutes into the lunch hour on meeting days so participants can walk to and from meetings and get 30 minutes of physical activity. And, increasingly, we are replacing food with other methods of reward/recognition.
This program is about much more than weight loss. It’s about:
- Cross-functional teambuilding—As a participant, I’ve been able to get to know staff with whom I infrequently interact;
- Learning to lead a healthier lifestyle—Many participants have joined gyms and walking clubs;
- Improving our departmental culture—Everyone, even those not in the program, is more upbeat and supportive; and
- Taking Care of Our Own—People use these meetings to de-stress, bond and achieve better work/life balance.
What’s most impressive and inspiring is that people aren’t doing this because they have to. They are making these changes because they want to— for themselves and their coworkers.
If you’d like to learn more, please contact me at klash@umich.edu or 734-936-4291. (*Weight Watchers POINTS® values are assigned based on the serving size and calories, fat and fiber per serving.)
Get MFit!
MFit, the Health Promotion Division of UMHS, offers a variety of nutrition and fitness programs for faculty and staff, including:
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