HCW Benefits Blog

Contributor:
Katherine Fernandes, Client Service Representative
Hill, Chesson & Woody

Did you know that behaviors such as poor diet, stress, and lack of exercise are among the leading causes of healthcare costs?  Personal choices often affect an employee’s likelihood of developing serious chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancers.  With that in mind, why wouldn’t prevention and wellness be a major priority of any employer?

By providing employees with the tools and motivation to maintain a healthy lifestyle, an employer can do more than save themselves from paying hefty medical costs; they can ensure a healthier and happier workplace.

HCW considers workplace wellness a high priority. Our employee-led Wellness Committee provides the following toolkit to our staff:

• FITNESS:  Healthy Lifestyle Reimbursement – HCW encourages employees to participate in healthy lifestyle programs like fitness facilities or Weight Watchers.  If an employee chooses to enroll in one of these programs, HCW will reimburse them a portion of the monthly cost. 
• NUTRITION:  Monthly Fruit & Salad Bars – Each month the Wellness Committee sets up a fruit or salad bar for employees to enjoy.  This provides a great supplement to any breakfast or lunch and there’s no excuse not to eat healthy when delicious fruits and fresh veggies are readily available for you!
• STRESS SOLUTIONS:  Monthly Massages – As another treat, the Wellness Committee provides monthly massages for all employees.  We appreciate the hard work that HCW employees do every day and we know that sometimes balancing work and home life can be stressful.  To help ease any stress, we bring a massage therapist to our office and invite employees to sign up for a session, compliments of the Wellness Committee. 
• PREVENTION:  Cold & Flu Season – We want our employees to be prepared for anything, and that includes Flu season!  Every year before Flu season, HCW offers employees and their dependents, the option to sign up for flu shots.  The Wellness Committee also distributes “Flu Kits” consisting of hand sanitizer, cough drops, travel tissue, and Air Borne to each employee.

Our committee also coordinates the events during the year that reinforce our healthy lifestyle initiatives. Our 2011 calendar includes the following:

• Community Wellness:  AHA Heart Walk – September will mark HCW’s 4th year participating in the American Heart Association’s annual Heart Walk and each year we have exceeded our donation and participation goals.  Why do we walk?  The AHA works to improve cardiovascular health and reduce deaths resulting from cardiovascular disease by improving patient care and reaching out to at risk populations.  This year our team goal is to raise at least $700.00 and to recruit at least 12 people to walk with our team.  Judging from last year’s enthusiasm, we expect to meet and exceed these goals!
• Team Work:  Wellness Challenges – Here at HCW we pride ourselves on exceptional motivation and teamwork.  Why not utilize that drive and cohesive spirit for wellness initiatives?  This year the Wellness Committee assigned every HCW employee to a team.  Every other month our staff receives a wellness challenge in which they can earn points for their teams by participating in various healthy activities.  These activities are as strenuous as getting 30 minutes of exercise every day, and as fun as having a 4oz glass of red wine (for the antioxidants of course!).  The team with the most points is rewarded with a lunch of their choice.
• Education is Key:  CPR – While we all hope that we never experience a scenario that would call for CPR, such a situation can occur and often without warning.  This year HCW learned that some traditional pieces of CPR training had been updated by the Red Cross.  Even though our certification from last year was not yet expired, the Wellness Committee chose to invite our instructor back for a refresher course.  Already, we have found that you can never be too prepared.  Out of the 13 staff members who took the course, two have been called upon to administer first aid or CPR during emergency situations!

We hope that with the proper tools and encouragement from our Wellness Committee, HCW employees will make smart decisions regarding their health and maintain an active, healthy lifestyle.

Won’t you share with us some strides your company has made with its wellness initiatives?