Hartford Business Journal

22 Hartford Business Journal • December 3, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com CONNECTICUT'S HEALTHIEST EMPLOYERS 2018 1 st PLACE | CATEGORY: 401+ CT EMPLOYEES Stew Leonard's brings health care to its employees By Wendy Pierman Mitzel Special to the Hartford Business Journal S tew Leonard's, Connecti- cut's family owned and operated grocery store, doesn't just offer health care to its employees, it brings health care to them. The company's wellness initiative, be- gun nearly 10 years ago, brings mobile, on-site healthcare access to its head- quarters and six stores, offering health screenings, physicals, mammograms, flu shots and programs like diabetes care. "We felt that focusing on health and wellness for team members and their dependents was important within our culture," said Karen Mazako, Stew Leonard's vice president of human resources. "We also saw healthcare costs continue to increase, and from a long-term perspective we thought we could impact the cost by focusing on preventable care." To make sure employees know about those services and many others, the company offers annual "Shopping for Healthcare" classes. More than 80 percent of eligible team members attend, Mazako said. "We educate our team members and show them opportunities where they can save money and get quality, cost-effective care," Mazako said, add- ing that the company has determined medical centers of "value," which offer higher-quality, lower-cost care mem- bers are encouraged to use. As a result of those initiatives, Stew Leonard's has averaged an annual 0.5 percent increase in employee health insurance costs, compared to a na- tional average of more than 6 percent, according to Walter Watson, the com- pany's director of safety and wellness. He believes the company's preventa- tive-care initiatives have contributed to that success. Since incentivizing and encouraging team members to access more preventative care, he said the percentage of employees and dependents receiving annual physicals went from 19 percent to 85 percent. Various incentives, including earn- ing up to $1,000 toward insurance deductibles for completing a physical examination and health risk assess- ment, reward members who access preventative care. Other incentives include subsidized Fitbit purchases, reduced insurance premiums for non- tobacco users, in- centive payments for using com- pany-approved centers of value, free lunches and raffle prizes. Of Stew Leon- ard's 530 eligible, full-time employ- ees, a majority use the company's healthcare plan, said Mazako. The company said the program is working with 84 percent of team members complet- ing a health risk assessment while overall employee health engagement is rising significantly. A company nurse rotates through the locations, as well, providing health coaching and connecting members to resources. Another initiative is the Fitbit Chal- lenge. For $30, Stew Leonard's will give team members a Fitbit for a 60- day competition to see who can log the most steps. More than 300 team members participated. Stew Leonard Jr. leads the charge to enhance well-being for team members and their families, often participating in many of the events and activities like health fairs and challenges. 4 th PLACE | CATEGORY: 151-400 CT EMPLOYEES Blumshapiro Industry: Business advisory, tax and accounting CT Headquarters: West Hartford CT Employees: 275 B lumshapiro employees are a big part of the process when it comes to wellness initiatives. The company has a dedicated well- ness commit- tee focused on implementing health and well- ness programs based around is- sues like healthy diet, exercise, mental health and work-life bal- ance. The committee holds a brain- storming session at least once a month, and tries to align their ideas with the season. Last summer, they focused on healthy sun behavior. That meant giving away sunscreen and sun-proof chapstick, and encouraging employ- ees to take time off to spend time with friends, family and nature. In addition, blumshapiro aims to keep employees performing at peak lev- els in the office and at home by encour- aging them to remain physically active and care for their emotional health. Stew Leonard's Industry: Grocery store CT Stores: Newington, Danbury and Norwalk CT Employees: 533 Stew Leonard's employees participate in a boot camp class. WE PROVIDE CT BUSINESS LEADERS WITH THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO SUCCESSFULLY RUN THEIR BUSINESS. ARE YOU IN THE KNOW? SUBSCRIBE BY GOING TO WWW.HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM CLICK ON "SUBSCRIBE"

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