This economic downturn’s blinding speed has caught everyone off guard, including wellness coordinators suddenly faced with not having the money allocated for 2009. An informal poll of Health Enhancement Systems’ clients suggests that while business hasn’t necessarily dropped off significantly, the country’s overall mood has resulted in a duck-and-cover mindset for many. 

Here’s the irony: sound health promotion services are needed more than ever during the most difficult times. And while you don’t have the luxury of borrowing (or printing) more money, you’re not helpless when it comes to boosting team morale and value. Some suggestions:

• Keep learning by accessing internal resources. Aside from your training department, seek out sales, marketing, and communication professionals who could conduct 1-hour or half-day workshops, serve as coaches, or advise on specific skills beneficial to your wellness team. The opportunity to learn is one of the most motivating perks for any employee. Keep your wellness team fired up with new education opportunities every month.
• Peruse conference agendas for the latest and greatest. You may not be able to send your entire staff to a conference, but you could conduct a conference call with individual speakers. Get their slides in advance and make copies for all to follow during the call.
• Use technology. Apply Internet search and filter capabilities to keep current on health and wellness news. Assign subject areas and require monthly updates, then circulate them to all.
• Check community resources. Local not-for-profits, healthcare organizations, and some state/county government agencies will perform in-house training free or for a nominal fee.
• Attend free webinars. Check with your marketing and sales departments for the best commercial websites in their field, create an account, and in just a few weeks you’ll receive invites to more webinars than you can attend. Some will have little relevance, but many will help you hone your promotion skills.
• Step up your networking. While numerous online services such as LinkedIn offer convenience and volume when it comes to networking, they may not be as useful as picking up the phone and talking to colleagues. Try sending an email in advance… I have a challenge I’d like to bounce off you this week — do you have 15 or 20 minutes to talk on Thursday?

In the face of massive restructuring, surviving health promotion staffs don’t have the luxury of breathing a sigh of relief — even if you’ve a report that says the last 5 years have produced a 3:1 ROI. To stay in the game you have no choice but to continue expanding skills and reinvesting in the future. Lying low until the storm passes is a sure path to irrelevance and a short walk out the door.