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.”
The benefits of implementing health and wellness services are broad, Mitchell says. In the past few years, American Licorice has earned recognition for its efforts, including the 2009 Silver California Fit Business award, the 2010 American Heart Association Start! Fit Friendly award, and first place in the 100 to 499 employees category of the Healthiest Employers of Indiana awards. The company promotes these honors to consumers on its website and blog.
“Traditionally, our associates work for us for a very long time, if not a lifetime, and we really count on associates being with us for decades, so the programs are mutually beneficial,” Mitchell says.
Offering Health And Fitness Help
With on-site personal coaches and fitness centers, The Hershey Co.’s myWell-Being program has helped control the company’s health care costs, according to Jeff Beckman, director of corporate communications. He adds it has also improved health and productivity, attracted and retained employees, and improved employee engagement.
“In 2012, we are deploying a global wellness strategy beginning with the U.S. and Puerto Rico,” he tells the NCA Journal. “This includes enhancing our offerings, opening up programs beyond the medical plan to all employees and dependents, and restructuring our incentive and reimbursement programs. In 2013, we will be expanding the programs to other countries around the world where we operate.”
Ferrara Pan Candy Co., Inc. also offers a health and wellness program free of charge to its employees, and is looking into the correlation with its costs, according to Angie Castejon, human resources manager. So far, she says: “We haven’t gotten to the point where we can say, ‘Ever since we have had this in place, it has brought down our insurance ratios.’”
However, insurance costs were not Ferrara Pan’s primary reason for implementing the health and wellness program, she says, explaining it actually stemmed from an earlier program that aimed to help associates quit smoking.
“We looked into starting a weight loss program because there were a couple of individuals who said they were worried about gaining weight now that they had quit smoking,” she explains. The company implemented Weight Watchers At Work in January 2010, offering meetings each week for associates to attend on their lunch breaks. About 25 people are enrolled, and collectively the group has lost 1,100 pounds, according to Castejon.
How To Implement Programs
Choosing the right program takes some research and planning, Castejon says.
“Weight Watchers worked for us because we had the flexibility of having representatives come out to our facilities and talk to employees about their options as far as lifestyle changes they can incorporate,” she explains. “What we found is that sometimes the support factor was what was really helpful in helping these people lose weight.”
When employees lost a certain percentage, or reached a five- or 10-pound weight loss goal, that information was shared with the group, but other details were kept confidential, she says. The company receives overall data each week highlighting collective numbers of pounds lost, which indicates whether or not the program is working, Castejon says. The organization was also able to accommodate both shifts of employees.
Similarly, the bulk of American Licorice’s associates are in production facilities, so the company must manage its health programs across three different shifts, Mitchell says. At American Licorice facilities, Wellness Centers feature computer kiosks and phones to provide access to medical carriers and personal coaches. The candymaker’s 13-week Biggest Loser program incorporates diet, exercise and on-site weigh-ins conducted by third party wellness provider WellCall.
“WellCall manages the confidential information,” Mitchell explains. “We get aggregate data, so we see our blood pressure year-to-year and that we have more associates in the healthy range. We can track our progress.” There are individual success stories as well. One employee, for example, quit smoking and lost about 90 pounds. “Seeing those success stories is really encouraging, and it’s great for him and for his coworkers to see that progress,” she says.
In the Midwest, where the number of employees who smoke is higher, American Licorice offers Quitting with Cliff. Named for an employee who aims to quit smoking, she says, the program invites participants to track the number of cigarettes they smoke and gradually cut back. Wellness coaching, company-wide runs, and Pole, Pedal, Paddle relay race teams round out the company’s Healthier Tomorrow initiative.
To gauge participants’ interest, the company sends out surveys to see what’s working and what isn’t. Today, more than 70 percent of associates in each location take part in Healthier Tomorrow, she says.
At Hershey, participation varies depending on the program, Beckman says, explaining myWell-Being includes preventive exams, fitness center reimbursements, Weight Watchers reimbursements, care advocacy services, a 24-hour Nurse Line and corporate activities linked with the company’s Moderation Nation consumer wellness campaign.
“Our mission statement is to develop a global culture of health and vitality that empowers employees, retirees and their families to improve their well-being,” he says, adding: “We offer cash incentives for participation and completion of certain wellness activities.”
Keeping employees interested in programs is vital, sources agree, and companies offer incentives such as gift cards to help boost participation rates.
For example, employees who participate in Spangler Fit weight loss contests receive cash prizes, Mosier says, adding they also receive a one-year subscription to a health magazine to help them keep in line with personal goals. Spangler is planning to host a triathlon at some point in 2012, and employees will likely receive incentives for that as well, she adds.
Also providing incentives, Ferrara Pan invited employees to take part in the Ferrara Pan Pound Down, which Castejon calls a “friendly” weight loss competition. “You could be part of a five-person team or work as an individual,” she says. “Once a month, employees who participated weighed in, and at the end of the six-month mark, the winning team that lost the most received a cash prize.”
Ferrara Pan is considering another contest in 2012, she adds. “Employees have expressed interest in it because we had so much fun during the Pound Down.”
Castejon claims these programs help associates save money: “The employees really appreciate the fact that the company sponsors it. It takes a huge burden off of them to know they don’t have to pay for weekly meetings or online access to be able to track their information.”
By completing two wellness programs in a year, and exercising 30 minutes a day for 20 days, associates at American Licorice can receive up to $150 as part of its Wellness Rewards program, Mitchell explains. They can also get $50 for taking two annual dental exams. “We’re really focusing on getting our associates to the dentists or the doctor, because recent reports say many illnesses are actually diagnosed at the dentist, rather than by a doctor,” she says.
In addition, she notes, it’s not always just about losing weight. “We’re also looking at other successes — the people who didn’t realize they had high blood pressure and they are sent to a doctor, and they now have the correct medication to keep their blood pressure at a healthy level. And it’s someone even saying they were at the health fair, went to the dermatologist to have something removed and found out it was precancerous.”
Employees at Hershey have also shared stories about the positive impact the myWell-Being program has had on their lives, Beckman says, citing weight loss, early detection of breast cancer and learning about their biometric numbers such as cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
Ferrara Pan’s Castejon adds many employees have shared their stories with her on a one-on-one basis, telling her they haven’t worn a particular size in many years, or showing enthusiasm about how much weight they’ve lost.
In fact, Castejon experienced the program’s benefits firsthand. “I felt the difference,” she says. “It changes your mood and your perspective and it can teach you all these lifestyle changes that make you feel healthier and happier.”
While these instances are not something that stands out in a report documenting aggregate blood pressure levels, Mitchell says they are the primary benefit of implementing these programs.
“When you have someone come up to you and tell you what a difference it has made, it’s so much more impactful than seeing the data on a piece of paper,” Mitchell says.
