What this is
What is a wellbeing program plan?
What is a wellbeing program plan?
It is the single document that sets out what wellbeing support exists at a site and how a worker actually reaches it: employee assistance, mental health first aiders, peer support, manager training, financial and physical health elements. It names an owner and a target group for each element rather than describing wellbeing in general terms.
How does this differ from a psychosocial risk assessment?
The risk assessment identifies what is causing harm — workload, control, support, change. The program plan is the response: the services and structures put in place once those risks are known. A plan built without a current risk assessment behind it is treating symptoms it hasn't diagnosed.
What makes a programme element count as accessible?
Accessible means a worker on any shift, in any role, can reach it without asking permission or losing pay. A service confined to office hours, or one that requires a manager referral to use, is not accessible in the sense this plan requires — it is a benefit for whoever already has the easiest path to it.
Scope
When is a wellbeing program plan required?
This plan is the response layer of the Wellbeing and Mental Health programme. It only holds up when the assessment and consultation work underneath it is current — used on its own, it becomes a document about intentions rather than a record of what's actually reaching people.
Use this template when
- The site is standing up a new wellbeing element, or reviewing the whole programme on its annual cycle
- A psychosocial risk assessment or workload review has just closed and its findings need a formal response
- HR needs one document that lists every element, its owner, its target group and whether it's actually being used
- A new record is needed and gets its own ID in the form WPP-2026-000
- Site management needs to show a linked, current record before authorising programme budget
Do not use it for
- Wellbeing Survey, which asks workers directly about workload, support, stress and how they're coping — the input, not the response.
- Psychosocial Risk Assessment, which assesses the workplace factors — demand, control, support, change — the plan is meant to be answering.
- Workload Review, which is the specific control for hours, staffing and sustainable workload, not a general wellbeing element.
- Support Referral Record, which is the individual, confidential record of one worker being pointed toward a service — never roll individual referrals into this plan.
- Anything outside KnowHealth, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process.
Compliance mapping
Which ISO 45003 requirements does this satisfy?
ISO 45003 follows the same high-level structure as ISO 45001, so the plan's sections map onto specific clauses rather than the standard in general.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 45003 Clause 6 — Planning | Psychosocial risks identified and controls planned before the programme is designed | Foundation |
| ISO 45003 Clause 5 — Leadership and worker participation | Workers involved in designing the response, not just informed of it afterwards | Foundation |
| ISO 45003 Clause 7 — Support | Competence and resource behind the people delivering it — first aiders, supervisors, referral routes | Capability |
| ISO 45003 Clause 8 — Operation | Each element operated with a named owner, defined target group and confirmed accessibility | Programme elements |
| ISO 45003 Clause 9 — Performance evaluation | Uptake and effectiveness measured per element rather than assumed | Programme elements |
| ISO 45003 Clause 9 — Performance evaluation | Survey scores, absence and turnover trends tracked as leading indicators of the programme's effect | Measurement |
| ISO 45003 Clause 10 — Improvement | Corrective action raised and tracked to a reference when the plan is falling short | Measurement |
What it does not cover
- An employee assistance programme available during office hours only, which excludes the night shift from the one service most likely to be used out of hours.
- Mental health first aiders trained but concentrated on day shift, which leaves most of the workforce with no first-aider coverage when something happens on their shift.
- A programme signed off with the psychosocial risk assessment marked Overdue, which means the elements are answering a guess, not a measured risk.
- Uptake never measured for any element, which means a service can sit unused for a year before anyone notices it isn't working.
- Workers not consulted on programme design, which produces a plan built around what HR assumes people want rather than what they've said they need.
Global
Wellbeing Program Plan requirements by country
ISO 45003 is guidance rather than law, so how much weight a wellbeing programme carries depends on where the enforceable duty actually sits.
Model WHS Regulations — psychosocial hazards, with Safe Work Australia's Code of Practice on managing psychosocial hazards at work
A legally enforceable duty to manage psychosocial risk, not a voluntary programme
A plan with a stale risk assessment underneath it isn't just weak practice here — it's a gap against a specific regulatory duty a WHS regulator can act on directly.
HSE Management Standards for work-related stress, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Stress is treated as a health and safety risk to be assessed like any other hazard
HSE expects the same risk-assessment discipline applied here as to a physical hazard — a plan with no current assessment behind it invites the same scrutiny a missing machine guard risk assessment would.
ISO 45003:2021
Voluntary guidance, most useful to multi-site groups as a shared structure and vocabulary
It gives the plan its section structure and language, but carries no certification or enforcement weight on its own — the actual duty still sits with local law.
How to complete it
How to complete a wellbeing program plan, step by step
Filling in every field is the easy part. The judgement calls are what decide whether the plan reflects a working programme or a document written to look like one.
An Assessment ID entered against a current risk assessment is not the same as the plan's elements having been shaped by its findings. If the element list would look identical whatever the assessment found, it isn't informing anything.
'Accessible On All Shifts: Yes' needs to survive someone actually checking on the night shift. A phone line that's staffed 9-to-5 doesn't become accessible because the plan says so.
Uptake Percent left blank while Uptake Measured is marked Yes is a contradiction worth catching before sign-off — a measurement with no number attached isn't a measurement.
'Workers Involved In Design: Consulted' and 'Yes' are scored differently for a reason — being asked after the shape of the programme is fixed isn't the same as having shaped it.
What auditors find
Most common wellbeing program plan findings
The pattern across audited plans is the same: elements that look complete individually, sitting on foundations nobody checked before signing off.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Plan approved with 'Workload Review Current' marked Overdue | ISO 45003 Clause 6 | Hold sign-off until the workload review is current, or record explicitly why the plan is proceeding without it and by whose authority. |
| Element marked 'Accessible On All Shifts: Partly' with no remediation noted anywhere | ISO 45003 Clause 8 | Require a follow-up action wherever accessibility is anything less than Yes — 'Partly' left unaddressed is a known gap left open. |
| Uptake Measured answered Yes with the Uptake Percent field left blank | ISO 45003 Clause 9 | Make the percentage a condition of answering Yes; a measurement claim needs the number that backs it. |
| Mental health first aiders trained, but Coverage Across Shifts recorded as Days only | ISO 45003 Clause 7 | Treat first-aider coverage as a capability gap, not a training-numbers success, until it spans the shifts the site actually runs. |
| Survey Results Informing This Plan answered No on a plan otherwise marked complete | ISO 45003 Clause 5 | Don't let the plan close as complete while the input from the survey and risk assessment is explicitly marked as not used. |
| Action Required marked Yes with no CAPA ID entered against it | ISO 45003 Clause 10 | Raise the corrective action record first and enter its reference before the plan is treated as closed out. |
Case in point
Case in point: the programme built around a poster
A distribution site rolled out an employee assistance programme, printed the number on break-room posters, and marked the plan complete. Uptake Measured was left as No — nobody had set up a way to track calls, and nobody chased it because the number going up was the visible proof the programme existed.
A psychosocial risk assessment run eighteen months later found workload as the dominant issue, with the night shift worst affected — the same shift the EAP's daytime-only staffing meant it had never actually reached. The plan had been technically complete the entire time; it just hadn't been built on anything that measured whether it worked.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
5 sections
- Reference
- HLT-025
- Archetype
- Plan
- Record ID
- WPP-2026-000
- Scoring
- Not scored
- Direction
- n/a
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- ISO 45003
- Links
- Links Site
- Tags
- Wellbeing, Programme
- Sections
- 5
- Fields
- 45
- Follow up fields
- 3
- Repeating sections
- 1
- Links out
- 5
Header
11 fieldsPlan ID*
Auto sequence. Format WBP-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Version*
Issue Date*
Next Review Due*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Plan Owner*
Occupational Health Provider
Approved By*
Fix The Work First
Yoga classes do not offset a shift pattern nobody can sleep on. A wellbeing programme is credible only when the psychosocial risk assessment is being acted on alongside it.
Foundation
6 fieldsPsychosocial Risk Assessment Current*
- Yes3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
- None0 pts
Assessment ID
Links to HLT-023 Assessment ID
Work Design Actions In Progress*
- Yes3 pts
- Some1 pt
- None0 pts
Workload Review Current*
- Yes3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Survey Results Informing This Plan*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Workers Involved In Design*
- Yes3 pts
- Consulted2 pts
- No0 pts
Programme elements
Repeats9 fieldsElement*
Mental health first aiders, employee assistance, manager training, peer support, physical health, financial wellbeing, or flexible working.
Owner*
Target Group*
Accessible On All Shifts*
A service available only during office hours excludes the night shift entirely.
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Confidential*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Free To The Worker*
- Yes3 pts
- Subsidised2 pts
- No0 pts
Uptake Measured*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Uptake Percent
Effectiveness Measured*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Capability
6 fieldsMental Health First Aiders Trained*
Coverage Across Shifts*
- All shifts3 pts
- Most1 pt
- Days only0 pts
Supervisors Trained To Have The Conversation*
- Yes3 pts
- Some1 pt
- No0 pts
Referral Routes Published*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Crisis Response Defined*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Anonymity Guaranteed*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Measurement
13 fieldsSurvey Score Trend
- Improving3 pts
- Stable2 pts
- Declining0 pts
Absence Trend
- Improving3 pts
- Stable2 pts
- Worsening0 pts
Turnover Trend
- Improving3 pts
- Stable2 pts
- Worsening0 pts
Plan Document
Document ID
Format DOC-0000.
Links to FDN-008 Document ID
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
HR*
Signature*
Site Manager*
Second Signature*
HLT-025 · record IDs look like WPP-2026-000 · Links Site
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The form is the easy part. Keeping the underlying risk assessment current, chasing uptake numbers nobody wants to report, and making sure the plan updates when an element changes is the work that actually slips.
Holds the wellbeing program plan against the risk assessment and workload review it depends on, and flags when the plan has gone stale relative to either.
Tracks mental health first aider and manager training against the shift coverage the plan claims, so 'trained' and 'covers the night shift' aren't assumed to be the same thing.
Rolls the plan's review date and outstanding corrective actions into the wider compliance calendar, so a plan due for renewal doesn't sit unnoticed until an audit finds it.
Coordinates the crew across these workspaces, surfaces uptake and coverage gaps in one view, and holds every write for your approval before it touches a record.
This template lives in KnowHealth — employee wellbeing. Exposure monitoring, health surveillance, case management and return to work.
Meet KnowHealth→Glossary
Wellbeing Program Plan definitions and key terms
- Psychosocial risk
- Workplace factors — workload, control over how work is done, support available, and how change is managed — that can cause psychological harm the same way a physical hazard causes injury.
- Employee assistance programme (EAP)
- A confidential counselling and referral service, usually provided by an external vendor, offered free or subsidised to workers and often their families.
- Mental health first aider
- A worker trained to recognise signs of mental health difficulty, start a supportive conversation and point a colleague toward professional help — not to diagnose or treat.
- Psychosocial hazard
- A specific source of psychosocial risk — for example, bullying, excessive workload, poor job control or unclear role expectations — as distinct from the general risk it creates.
- Workload as a control
- Treating workload the way a guard or a permit is treated in physical safety: an adjustable factor that reduces risk when it's actively managed, not just monitored.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about wellbeing program plan
What is the wellbeing program plan template based on?+
It's built against ISO 45003, the guidance standard for psychological health and safety at work. It's voluntary rather than certifiable, but it gives the plan its structure — the same high-level clauses (planning, support, operation, performance evaluation, improvement) that ISO 45001 uses for physical risk.
What sections does the wellbeing program plan contain?+
Five: Header, Foundation, Programme elements, Capability, Measurement. Together they hold 45 fields, 33 of them required, with Programme elements repeating for each element the site runs.
How often is a wellbeing program plan raised?+
Written once and reviewed on an annual cycle, or whenever an element is added or removed. Each version gets its own ID in the form WPP-2026-000 so changes over time can be traced.
Does this replace the psychosocial risk assessment?+
No. The risk assessment identifies what's causing harm; this plan is the response to it. A plan approved without a current risk assessment behind it is answering a question nobody has actually asked recently.
Who signs off the plan?+
HR owns and completes it, with sign-off from the site manager. The template carries two signature fields for that reason — one is not a substitute for the other.
Can the wellbeing program plan template be changed?+
Yes. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to sibling templates come with it. Most teams install it as-is, run one full cycle, then adjust the element list to match what they actually run.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Wellbeing and Mental Health
Wellbeing Survey
Asks workers about workload, support, stress and how they are coping
Psychosocial Risk Assessment
Assesses workplace factors that affect mental health, including demand, control, support and change
Workload Review
Reviews whether workload, hours and staffing are sustainable for a team
Support Referral Record
Records that a worker was pointed towards support services, without recording why
Fitness for Duty Assessment
Assesses whether a worker is currently able to perform their role safely
Impairment Concern Record
Records a documented concern that a worker may be impaired and unable to work safely
More in Wellbeing
Wellbeing Survey
Asks workers about workload, support, stress and how they are coping
Psychosocial Risk Assessment
Assesses workplace factors that affect mental health, including demand, control, support and change
Workload Review
Reviews whether workload, hours and staffing are sustainable for a team
Support Referral Record
Records that a worker was pointed towards support services, without recording why
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- ISO 45003:2021 — Psychological health and safety at work
- Safe Work Australia — Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work (2022)
- HSE Management Standards for work-related stress, Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- ISO 45001:2018 — Occupational health and safety management systems
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.