Wellness in the Workplace

Companies go the extra mile for employee health

New Albany companies are on the leading edge of the business community, encouraging their employees to get active and take charge of their health.

Corporate wellness programs are growing more and more popular, says Katy Henn, CEO of the central Ohio-based Wellness Collective, which helps companies develop their own fitness and wellness solutions. Wellness programs are aimed at encouraging employees to live healthy lifestyles through education and incentives.

“I was just looking at a survey for 2012 of trends in health,” Henn says. “We’re continuing to see a rise in companies establishing workplace wellness programs, and we will continue to see that over the next several years.”

Corporate wellness is not just about keeping down the cost of insurance and improving attendance and productivity – it’s about company morale and creating a good quality of life for employees. Even a small monetary investment can bring large dividends in intangible assets.

“(We can) contain health care costs … (and) improve productivity, lost time and absenteeism, but then I also like to stress things that are a little bit harder to measure – job satisfaction and conflict resolution, their relationships with others in the workplace, and their overall mood. It goes far beyond saving money,” Henn says. “I think it’s not only the right thing to do for people’s physical health, but for their mental and emotional health, if we look at the big picture.”

Here’s what three local companies, representing all sizes, are doing to promote healthy living among staffers.

Janova

With its small staff of about 40 people, local software company Janova boasts an impressive participation rate in its wellness initiatives. The company sponsors its employees in both the New Albany Walking Classic, the largest walking-only race in the U.S., and Pelotonia, a lengthly bike ride to support cancer research.

“We only have about 40 (employees) in New Albany, and we had about 12 members on the Pelotonia team,” says Janova CEO Jeff Lusenhop. “That’s a fairly sizable commitment.”

Janova supported its workers by matching their Pelotonia donations and purchasing jerseys for them.

Group training rides around town and a company-wide party celebrating the participants’ success helped everyone feel like they were part of the team, even if they weren’t riding, Lusenhop says.

“I think that was a big deal in motivation, for people to be a part of that,” he says.

Lusenhop himself got in the game, losing 85 pounds and completing the 102-mile route for the 2010 Pelotonia.

Janova’s participation in the Walking Classic was just as strong, with about 35 participants in the group, including family and friends. The Walking Classic doesn’t have a fundraising requirement, so Janova chose to support employees by creating a special T-shirt for its participants to wear with its own logo and that of the race – with special approval from race organizers.

Weekly lunchtime walks helped Janova employees prepare for the race, which has half-marathon and 10K distances. Healthful initiatives have been part of Janova since its founding as Arc Consultants in 2002, says Brian Lusenhop, director of product management.

“We always strive to balance the work and the healthy lifestyle of our employees, whether it’s snacks and things that we bring into the office or things that we do outside of the company,” Brian says. “We just believe that keeping healthy and happy employees is ultimately going to help the company move forward.”

State Farm

Insurance company State Farm, which has an operations center in New Albany that employs 500 people, believes that a healthy work force is a happy work force, says Blake Zitko, public affairs specialist.

“It keeps costs down … (but also) our employees have the same needs that our customers do,” Zitko says. “We want them to have great access to things that help them live a healthy lifestyle.”

State Farm has its own internal wellness program called Live Well, Be Well.

“It encompasses all of the various things that we’ve done, past and present,” says Zitko.

Live Well, Be Well includes employee education on healthy eating and exercise, such as information on walking routes around the State Farm building. Those who complete an annual physical are given a $15 pay bonus.

Operation Move, which is part of Live Well, Be Well, helps employees track their exercise and offers incentives for physical activity.

“Our employees, during a lunch break or during the afternoon, can get up and move,” Zitko says, offering a small example. “If you walk around the building a couple times, you get a prize.”

The local operations center has its own Health Services office that is available for minor medical situations and to advise workers on health issues. The office also offers regular activities and presents quizzes to test employee knowledge of facts about health and wellness.

In addition, the company partners with Lifeworks for its Employee Assistance Program, providing access to weight loss help and tobacco cessation programs, among other things.

All of these initiatives have generated very positive feedback from State Farm workers, Zitko says.

State Farm is a sponsor of the New Albany Walking Classic, but participation is voluntary.

“It was organic in that employees that live in the area wanted to participate and take part in such a great event,” Zitko says “I know that my co-workers on my team have said that it’s one of their favorite activities of the year.”