Knowledge Exchange

Archived Stories

Halton Healthcare

There's an old saying that 'what's good for the goose is also good for the gander', but when it comes to quality worklife issues at Ontario's Halton Healthcare, it seems that what's good for patients is also good for the people who care for them.

Operating sites in Oakville, Milton and Georgetown, Halton Healthcare has achieved remarkable success with their unique Kailo employee wellness program. Pronounced 'Ky-lo' -- which is an Indo-European word meaning to be 'whole', 'uninjured' or 'of good omen' -- the program supports Halton's colleagues from a holistic perspective of care, compassion, and respect.

Halton Healthcare is one of two official sister programs to the original, award-winning Kailo program developed by the Mercy Medical Center in North Iowa, USA.

Leaders at Halton were looking for an innovative way to introduce a comprehensive support system for employee wellness that could combat their most pressing workplace problems: high sick time and low employee satisfaction rates.

They found what they were looking for in Kailo, a decidedly psychosocial framework for staff wellness that pulls into balance all aspects of health and well-being, including social, emotional, spiritual and physical elements.

"We wanted to build trust and improve relationships among employees," says Anna Rizzotto, Halton's Kailo Coordinator.

"Kailo offered proven approaches to demonstrate respect and value for all employees regardless of their current health practices, and allowed us also to promote humour, fun and play in the workplace," she explains.

Clearly Halton Healthcare was ripe for a different type of wellness program, as employees quickly embraced the Kailo philosophy of promoting a kinder workplace culture. During the official launch of Kailo, a record 400 employees attended the presentation on "Adding More Living to Your Life", with staff even opting to sit on the floor to listen after all the chairs were filled.

"We sensed they were hungry for something that spoke to the heart and soul," says Ms. Rizzotto.

A supportive leadership team promoted Kailo among management and made in-kind donations to the program. A positive chemistry between Halton's staff and the staff of the flagship program in Iowa also deepened the impact of the program and proved there's strength in numbers.

Examples of success were both subtle and evident. Times of caring and sharing among co-workers were dubbed 'Kailo moments', attendance at events was steady and evaluations favourable. Staff embraced all the benefits of Kailo, including 'Kailo-to-Go' in-services, the Kailo Treat Kart, the Kailo First Aid Basket, and the ever-popular mini-massage. "The feel-good impact of mini-massage appears to surpass all other program offerings!" exclaims Ms. Rizzotto.

Overall, there was little resistance to the program or a perception of it as strictly an HR or management-driven initiative; instead, the compassionate philosophy of Kailo resonated with employees and it showed.

Halton keeps its Kailo program fresh by continuing to expand its content base in an inclusive way. "As we uncover our inside experts on healthy/happy living practices, we invite them to join the Kailo 'faculty'," explains Ms. Rizzotto. "This is more economical and convenient, but most importantly, it enhances a sense of community."

Community involvement is clearly important to Halton Healthcare, as they are happy to share the secret of their success with others. For example, Halton's Kailo leaders share their strategies regularly with external organizations, who typically inquire about the program on a monthly basis.

The resulting site visits or phone conferences are supplemented with an information package, and the Kailo team has also participated in OHA forums designed specifically for knowledge exchange.

With the assistance of Brock University's Workplace Research Unit -- now known as Metrics@Work -- Halton has even been able to employ several reliable tools to assess the impact of Kailo and guide ongoing program planning.

Two particularly encouraging results when these evaluation tools were used to survey Halton employees involved in Kailo were a 3-4% increase in perceived health and a 10% increase in staff satisfaction.

Perhaps the most exciting characteristic of Kailo is that its easily adapted application knows no bounds, as its unique mind-body-spirit philosophy has worked as well for Canadian workplaces as it has for its American originators.

"Fortunately for other organizations looking to improve the quality of their healthcare workplace, the flagship program at www.kailo.org provides all the start-up tools and training, which can show a difference in one year," enthuses Ms. Rizzotto.

So, when it comes to Kailo and Halton Healthcare, its clear sharing really does equal caring.