Faculty and staff members at the University of Illinois Springfield take part in the 100 Mile Challenge, a team competition that records miles walking, running or swimming on a pedometer.
At Horace Mann Insurance, interested employees gather for a Lunch ‘n Learn session sponsored by the American Heart Association where a doctor talks about kids’ health.Levi, Ray & Shoup workers and their spouses and kids can take advantage of an on-site gym with rowing machines, elliptical workouts, a running track, racquetball courts and a swimming pool.Some companies are more vigilant than ever about workplace wellness, as they should be, contend experts.
With reduced work forces comes higher stress levels and diminished morale. That can impact everything, said Springfield Health Check’s Anne Godman, from work productivity to problems at home — sleep, depression and possible substance abuse — to soaring health care costs.
“We do value wellness,” said Jann Braun, vice-president of human capital management at Horace Mann. “It’s certainly something our company is beginning to understand a little more equated to attendance and the well-being of employees.”Godman, the director of community outreach and development for Springfield Health Check — a community-based organization that offers free and low-cost workplace wellness services at different levels — said such programs work best in the long run because they have support of upper management and are effectively marketed.
Godman said sources indicate that programs that fail are sold as “all-purpose solutions” and don’t take into account the culture of the company.
“There is an awareness,” said Godman, “that as a society, we’re not always making healthy choices and that ripples into the work life, whether it be (work) attendance or health-care costs.”
Trent Tangen, assistant director of fitness and wellness for the department of recreation sports, said UIS employees get periodic email blasts and video blogs offering health tips and healthy recipes. The university’s health services department also puts on an employee health fair that includes bone density and cholesterol screenings and eye exams.
Employees and their spouses — the university employs just over 1,000 full-time and part-time faculty and staff — also can purchase membership at the recreation center.
The biggest challenge for employees? Tangen said it’s keeping energy level up.
“If you have more energy throughout the day, your work product is going to go up,” said Tangen. “You’re going to have energy to exercise or take the kids to the park.”
Faculty and staff members at the University of Illinois Springfield take part in the 100 Mile Challenge, a team competition that records miles walking, running or swimming on a pedometer.
At Horace Mann Insurance, interested employees gather for a Lunch ‘n Learn session sponsored by the American Heart Association where a doctor talks about kids’ health.Levi, Ray & Shoup workers and their spouses and kids can take advantage of an on-site gym with rowing machines, elliptical workouts, a running track, racquetball courts and a swimming pool.Some companies are more vigilant than ever about workplace wellness, as they should be, contend experts.
With reduced work forces comes higher stress levels and diminished morale. That can impact everything, said Springfield Health Check’s Anne Godman, from work productivity to problems at home — sleep, depression and possible substance abuse — to soaring health care costs.
“We do value wellness,” said Jann Braun, vice-president of human capital management at Horace Mann. “It’s certainly something our company is beginning to understand a little more equated to attendance and the well-being of employees.”Godman, the director of community outreach and development for Springfield Health Check — a community-based organization that offers free and low-cost workplace wellness services at different levels — said such programs work best in the long run because they have support of upper management and are effectively marketed.
Godman said sources indicate that programs that fail are sold as “all-purpose solutions” and don’t take into account the culture of the company.
“There is an awareness,” said Godman, “that as a society, we’re not always making healthy choices and that ripples into the work life, whether it be (work) attendance or health-care costs.”
Trent Tangen, assistant director of fitness and wellness for the department of recreation sports, said UIS employees get periodic email blasts and video blogs offering health tips and healthy recipes. The university’s health services department also puts on an employee health fair that includes bone density and cholesterol screenings and eye exams.
Employees and their spouses — the university employs just over 1,000 full-time and part-time faculty and staff — also can purchase membership at the recreation center.
The biggest challenge for employees? Tangen said it’s keeping energy level up.
“If you have more energy throughout the day, your work product is going to go up,” said Tangen. “You’re going to have energy to exercise or take the kids to the park.”
Jann Braun said Horace Mann’s 1,100 employees get up to a $200 annual reimbursement for health club membership or to put toward work with a personal trainer. The company also has held fitness challenges, including one that featured a more holistic approach.
“You’re going to have people who like the fitness component,” said Braun. “Some are at the opposite end. For us, the challenge is getting the in-betweens.
“If you can engage the employees and show them the benefits of fitness, that’s a start.”Shannon Heisler, senior manager of marketing at Levi, Ray & Shoup said a company building an on-site gym 25 years ago was “forward thinking.”
Its 400 or so employees in Springfield also can bring in fitness and yoga trainers and outside groups like Weight Watchers.
LRS, Heisler said, has a health club committee that makes recommendations — adding different kinds of workout equipment or adding a video room, for instance — that go to senior management.
Linda Fox is looking to bring a wellness program to the Illinois Education Association’s 220 employees in Springfield. The IEA’s insurance administrator, Fox said such a program can have wide-ranging benefits for the staff: health fairs; areas for getting exercise during lunch; walking programs and contests and healthier choices in vending machines.
“If you’re not healthy, engaged and motivated inside and outside, you’re not going to perform at work,” Fox said. “It’s a huge undertaking and I know there are going to be roadblocks, but I feel if I champion it the right way and get the right committee that leadership will embrace it.”
Springfield Health Check’s most popular offering, its workplace wellness event, includes blood pressure screenings, chair massages and healthy cooking tips. Anne Godman said the providers’ work to be interactive and engaging.
“When an employee leaves an event, I ask, ‘Did you have fun?’ We work diligently for that,” said Godman. “We make the process less scary and hopefully more meaningful for them.”
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Productivity: Emphasizing wellness allows employees to operate more energetically. Employees work better because they are there in body and mind.Decreased stress: Research shows that stress has the most significant impact on employee productivity. Employers should put a premium on actions and habits that encourage peace and calm and reap the benefits of an engaged, effective workforce.Improved morale: When employees know their wellbeing in the workplace matters, it’s easier to identify with the long- and short-term goals of the company.Savings: When team members are sick, time and money are lost. Being proactive about preventable illnesses by putting wellness first can lower costs and make the most of company time.For more information about Springfield Health Check, a community-based organization that offers free and low-cost workplace wellness services at different levels, visit http://www.springfieldhealthcheck.org/.
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