Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • September 21, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 27 CONNECTICUT'S HEALTHIEST EMPLOYERS 2020 1 st PLACE | CATEGORY: 5,000-PLUS EMPLOYEES Meredith's balanced wellness approach lowers high-risk population Meredith Corp. CT Locations: Rocky Hill, Stamford Industry: Media Top Executive: CEO Thomas H. Harty M edia giant Meredith Corp., parent company of local TV station WFSB, credits a broad range of campaigns and initiatives as the reason why nearly all employees and their spouses/ domestic partners are buying into its 14-year-old wellness program. In fact, more than 90% of insured employees and their partners have completed the "Meredith Wellness Program" since 2012. As part of the initiative, Meredith employees can earn more than $1,000 back in reimbursement toward health club dues, races or personal training. Participants can also score credit toward the annual program by completing more than four hours of volunteer work at an organization of their choice. Other offerings include on-site wellness screenings and on-site and live webinar workshops cover- ing financial wellness topics such as savings, investing, debt reduc- tion and retirement. Since launching the program in 2006, CEO Tom Harty said the number of employees in the company health plan's "high-risk" category has decreased from 40% to less than 10%. 2ND PLACE | CATEGORY: 5,000-PLUS EMPLOYEES Group exercise events accelerating U-Haul's wellness strategy U-Haul CT Locations: Statewide Industry: Rental Top Executive: Chairman and CEO Joe Shoen U -Haul's "Healthier You Program" has grown in four years from offering well- ness materials to providing new competitive events and education opportunities. As programs expanded to offer gym and race reimbursement, and financial services, so did its Active Day event, which is a companywide initiative to get employees and their families having fun outside of work. The organized group exercise activities garnered participation from roughly 2,000 workers in its inaugural season in 2016. By 2019, the number more than doubled to 5,200 participants as more employ- ees continue to adopt a healthier lifestyle, officials say. In 2019, increased participation across all of its wellness programs resulted in more than 1,000 workers losing a combined 15,000 pounds as part of a buyback program that rewarded those on company medical plans who maintain healthy weights and body mass indexes. Of that group, 199 employees and 58 spouses reduced at least 10% of their body weight in 2019. 3 rd PLACE | CATEGORY: 5,000-PLUS EMPLOYEES Burns & McDonnell urges staff to take ownership Burns & McDonnell CT Location: Wallingford Industry: Construction engineering Top Executive: CEO Ray Kowalik L ed by CEO Ray Kowalik, Burns & McDonnell is push- ing for a complete "ownership culture." The construction engineering company, which has a Wallingford office, even branded its wellness program "Own Your Health" to get that message across to employees. "It's an invitation to employee- owners to take care of themselves with the same carefulness and discipline they apply to their work," Kowalik said. "Our goal is to help employees take ownership of their health by developing programs and initiatives that will help them reach their goals and feel great." Under the program, Burns & McDonnell offers employees and their spouses an incentive program for regular step and workout chal- lenges, and for those using fitness device integration. In the last year, the company, in addition to fitness apparel giveaways, also debuted a new "Own Your Health Wellness Speaker Series" focused on delivering healthy living tips to employees. The first speaker in the series was Dr. James O'Keefe, who USA Today named as one of America's "Most Influential Doctors." 4 th PLACE | CATEGORY: 5,000-PLUS EMPLOYEES Prospect staff back employee wellness programs Prospect Medical CT CT Locations: Manchester, Rockville, Waterbury Industry: Health care Top Executive: Chairman and CEO Samuel Lee F rom prevention to early de- tection, for-profit healthcare operator Prospect Medical Connecticut designed its wellness program to help employees main- tain and improve their health. Prospect, which owns Manchester Memorial, Rockville General and Wa- terbury hospitals, said its "Healthy Prospects" program uses on-site staff to provide biometric screenings and health assessments for employees. Staff also give health coaching and education, fitness classes and other wellness support. Program coordinators quickly shifted to virtual models during the COVID-19 pandemic offering new health education webinars, weekly newsletters and online stretch breaks and guided meditation sessions. The service is free to participants, who can earn a $50 per month lower medical premium rate on their medical benefits annually. "As deliverers of healthcare services, it's imperative that our employees not lose sight of the need to care for themselves through increased aware- ness of health risk factors and be provided access to wellness resources designed to support their journey to- ward a healthier lifestyle," said Sandie Sekely, national director of health and welfare benefits.

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