Washington Workplaces Promote Wellness

HollisterStier

HollisterStier and its Human Resource Manager, Arlie Robinson, offer veteran expertise on employee wellness. HollisterStier has offered a wellness program to its employees for almost 20 years. They initially began with a gentle approach and offered health tips through brown bag discussions, bulletin board postings, and health fairs. However, there was no way of tracking the success of the wellness program, and these initiatives only received participation from employees who were already practicing healthy habits.

Arlie Robinson decided to take a bold initiative and developed a new program, My Life, that would capture the participation of all employees, and that focused on rewarding outcomes instead of participation. The program places employees into one of three groups: Maintain My Life (those who are already healthy and engaged in wellness practices), Improve My Life (those who are at the mid-point), and Change My Life (those who are practicing unhealthy habits).

Before getting underway, Arlie presented the My Life wellness program idea to HollisterStier’s senior executives. She explained the high cost of health care for the company, and illustrated the health care trends of their employees. The trends showed what employees were paying five years ago with wages, and that wages are not keeping up with health care cost. She also presented the My Life idea to staff and explained not only the effects of bottom line, but also how employees are affected personally by paying more out-of-pocket for their health care each year.

HollisterStier’s Wellness program now offers health screenings every six months. The screening includes a full lipid panel, glucose, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and percent body fat screening. The screening cost is subsidized by the company, and employees only pay $8. And, in the spirit of rewarding outcomes those who remain in the Maintain My Life group receive a 10 percent discount on their medical premiums. Those who move from Change My Life or Improve My Life to Maintain My Life receive a 20 percent discount on medical premiums.

Additionally, if staff members work out more than eight times a month the company increases their health club membership reimbursement. Other incentives offered include bi-weekly exercise and nutrition sessions conducted by Oz Fitness during lunch hours, and employee assistance programs.

The company also made institutional changes, including banning smoking on the property, and changing vending machine options. Candy and junk food were exchanged for sandwiches, fruits, nuts, and yogurt.

One barrier that Arlie faced was the employees’ fear of breaches in confidentiality, and their personal health information being exposed to employers. Arlie worked at building trust with the employees and has assured them that their confidentiality would be maintained.

HollisterStier’s wellness program has been successful. Employees have self-reported changes in their health status, and there have been significant improvements in health screenings. Arlie encourages other companies, saying, “Although it looks like a lot to take on, just get started somewhere... things have to happen in order for change to be made”.

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