by KELLI FONTENOT
Published January 2012 by the NCA Journal
Published January 2012 by the NCA Journal
Implementing a health and wellness program for employees can both help them get fit and potentially lower a company’s medical insurance costs, in addition to a wealth of other intangible benefits.
American Licorice Co.’s Tammie Mitchell, director of human resources, tells the NCA Journal offering such a program is a way to improve employees’ perspectives of the company and change lives for the better. She reveals company associates have shed nearly 1,000 pounds together as part of American Licorice’s “Healthier Tomorrow Than We Are Today” program, and the company has donated that amount in non-perishable food to local food banks to support the initiative.
Associates can participate in annual health screenings, a Biggest Loser-themed contest, and health fairs featuring massage therapists, yoga, acupuncture, and demonstrations of fitness and healthy cooking, she says. American Licorice introduced the initiative in 2007, and has been able to offer reductions on health premiums for participants who meet certain standards, such as reduced blood pressure levels, tobacco use and waist circumference, she explains.
Spangler Candy Co. also provides employees with heart health-focused wellness screenings and free memberships to the YMCA near its Bryan, OH, headquarters, according to Niki Mosier, the company’s director of human capital. The Spangler Fit program helps its employees lose weight and stay active, and this year some 40 percent of associates participated, she notes.
“If we have healthier employees, it will hopefully reduce and lower medical insurance costs,” Mosier explains. “There will be less absenteeism, there’s higher morale, and if they lose weight or have lower cholesterol, they’ll see the benefits of that. Because we care about our employees, we want them and their dependents to be healthy and have healthy lifestyles.”
