Initiative on track to improving wellness and reducing health-care costs in the workplace
“Once you put the pedometer on, you’re looking at how much you walk,” says Nicole Watson, one of the many People Inc. employees competing against each other in a company-wide fitness program. “You start making decisions not to drive somewhere. Some of us walked outside in the winter—that’s not something we ordinarily would have done.” And she says that a lot of employees have made similar changes to their fitness habits over the past year.
People Inc. was one of thirteen companies selected for the Western New York Wellness Works project, coordinated by the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions.
Joan Dorn, UB associate professor of social and preventive medicine, is principal investigator on the project that began in June 2005. “The overall goal of the project is to collect valid and reliable data on various wellness programs in Western New York, and to document that work-site wellness programs can reduce individual health risks and save employers money on escalating insurance costs,” said Dorn.
A year into the program and there is already evidence that the steps these companies have taken to promote employee fitness are leading to a healthier workforce and a more robust bottom line.
Researchers from UB this spring conducted a health assessment called Heart Check Plus which evaluated results from a year of wellness programs against data from nonparticipating companies. Employees of companies that successfully implemented a wellness plan were found to exercise more, have a lower body-mass index, and to have lost fewer workdays to illness than employees of companies that have not integrated such policies.
People Inc. created a Healthy People Wellness Program and appointed an oversight committee that organizes healthy lunches and group walks for workers and distributes information about healthy eating and exercise throughout the company. Teams of up to ten employees log the amount of water they drink and the number of steps on their pedometers in a database, information that is processed by their IT department to determine the winners of monthly competitions. The healthiest team wins prizes in keeping with the spirit of the competition, such as gift certificates to health clubs or health food stores.
Western New York Wellness Works is funded by the New York State Senate. State Senator Mary-Lou Rath, who developed the program’s original concept, sees the initiative as a creative solution to the rising costs of health care. “It is my great hope that the Wellness Works initiative will become a sustainable and innovative way to enhance Western New York’s health and well-being, while at the same time improving the private sector’s productivity,” she said.
And employees do seem to be performing better. Michelle Maloney, assistant vice president for commercial loan administration at Greater Buffalo Savings Bank, notices that when her employees go for a midday walk in nearby Delaware Park, “they’ve relieved some stress and have more energy for the rest of the day.” Most of the people in her department utilize the on-site gym, a vast facility that offers all of the amenities of a major health club at just $10 per year. Employees can arrange personal training sessions with Village Glen fitness instructors to target trouble areas or to set up their own workout program. The trainers also hold wellness seminars during lunchtime, covering men’s and women’s health and nutrition.
Wellness has become part of the office culture at Greater Buffalo Savings Bank. Weight Watchers held meetings inside the building, and employees who attended ten of the twelve sessions were reimbursed 50 percent of the fees. Because of that, “everyone is in the lunchroom looking at what other people are making, and sharing recipes,” Maloney said. One department has salad days, when employees each bring in a different salad ingredient and then share a healthy lunch.
Maloney used to wake up at 5:00 a.m. to run before getting ready to work. “Now it’s a part of the regular workday.” She says she has “absolutely” benefited from the vast wellness resources that surround her at the office every day. Her husband joins her at the gym at night and on weekends, and she carries with her the training advice and healthier eating habits she gains at work. Wellness is not just a small part of her day at the office: “It filters into the home,” she says.
Other participating employers include Better Baked Foods of Westfield; Mark IV Industries, Inc., the Rehab Center of Olean, and Hodgson Russ in conjunction with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Western New York; Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus; Clymer School District; Daemen College; Erie Community College; Jamestown School District; Independent Health; Mount St. Mary’s Hospital/Stella Niagara; Niagara Frontier Auto Dealers; and Greatbatch, Inc.
