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V O L . X X I I N O. X I H E A LT H Y B U S I N E S S 12 W hether a Maine company has a dozen employees or hundreds; operates locally, nationally or internationally; or is pri- marily desk or physical work, increas- ing numbers are offering employee wellness programs. ese include a range of offerings, from fitness classes to gym member- ships, health risk assessments to health coaching, on-site Weight Watchers meetings to nutritious food avail- able in the break room. Good health, according to those in the wellness field, is good not only for employees, it's good for employers, who save on medi- cal plan costs and absenteeism, and find that these sorts of programs help foster a positive workplace culture and serve to attract and retain employees. Here's a sampling of employer- based wellness programs: CES Inc.: In Brewer, the engineering, environmental sciences and surveying company, has a "Taking Shape" pro- gram that offers employees gift card incentives to participate, and pays for entry fees for athletic activities such as golfing, biking, running, triathlon and skeet shooting events. Cianbro: In Pittsfield, employees of Maine's largest construction company do team stretches at least twice a day to warm up their muscles, whether at the headquar- ters or on the job site. A private wellness health coach and full-time strength and conditioning coach, paid for by the company, is avail- able for employees and their fami- lies to help them achieve personal health goals. e company holds a variety of physical fitness events each year that encourage the team to educate and influence each other while becoming physically active. And no more vending machines: the kitchen at the corporate office provides only healthy snacks such as fruit, nuts and bottled water. Diversified Communications: is Portland company has a two-story fitness center available for employ- ees and their families to use any time. Free classes include spinning, zumba, cardio classes, circuit train- ing and yoga. Employees can use the space to exercise to their own as well. e center also houses car- diovascular and strength-training equipment. Diversified also offers noontime fitness/relaxation classes, health screenings, free flu shots, wellness lunch-and-learns, onsite massage therapy and secure storage for bicycles. ere are printed trail maps of bike and running routes, and various exercise and wellness challenges. e Color Challenge, for example, encourages employees to eat at least five servings of pro- duce each day, with a minimum of three vegetables in various colors. Sebasticook Valley Health: is Pittsfield-based company's offer- ings include Move and Improve, an exercise program originated by Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems, Virgin Pulse. It has an on-line well- ness initiative offering rewards. A wellness coach offers one-on-one health coaching. SVH's wellness team delivers fruit to all employees once a month, while offering edu- cation on a health/wellness topic. Employees can use exercise equip- ment in the Rehabilitation Practice at certain times of the day. ere are stretch breaks, various fitness programs and challenges, an on-site Weight Solutions Program, health risk assessments, and goal-setting. Machias Savings Bank: e bank offers annual biometric health screenings/exams with a registered nurse, for both employees and spouses. Employees with certain risk factors are offered free health coaching. At various times, an onsite fitness instructor offers group ses- sions of yoga, strength and toning, and aerobic exercise classes, and the company negotiates discounts at local fitness centers while also reimbursing employees up to $100 for gym memberships. e company bought Fitbits for employees who didn't already have one, and is cur- rently hosting Fitbit challenges, with employees competing to see who has the most steps or active minutes. Be well and prosper Employers help employees live the mantra B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r By the numbers C ost-savings are difficult to determine directly from Maine businesses, says Roxane Dubay, executive director of the Wellness Council of Maine. "If you're a business with 100 or fewer employees, which is the bulk of Maine businesses, you can't get the health data you're looking for" because the data set is too small to provide an aggregate picture, and federal health data privacy laws protect individuals' data, she says. So from a 2014 meta-analysis produced by Health Affairs, a journal of health policy thought and research, she cites figures considered conservative: Medical costs drop $3.27 per $1 spent on wellness Absenteeism costs drop $2.73 per $1 spent on wellness Industry reports saving $11 per $1 spent on wellness Dubay also referred to a 2015 Health and Productivity Study — produced by Willis Towers Watson, a global risk management, insurance brokerage and financial advisory company — as perhaps best mirroring Maine's workplace demographics. According to the survey of more than 700 employers across the U.S., employee wellness programs have become a part of doing business. The report says 2015 was a watershed year for employer- sponsored health and wellness programs, as demand for such programs grows. "Employers are recognizing that there is considerable value to a healthier workforce beyond the value of lower medical costs," the report says. "VOI-focused organizations embrace a wider set of metrics that include: absenteeism, worker morale, employee turnover, presenteeism costs, work- ers compensation, short- and long-term disability, employee loyalty and tenure." Many respondents indicated concern about medical costs. "With a projected increase in medical trends in 2016 and the looming Cadillac Tax in 2018, the business imperative to lower medical costs will continue to be a top priority," the report says. 2015 Health and Productivity Study findings 73% of employers have some form of wellness program — from basic to comprehensive — in place. 11% plan to put a program in place. 58.5% of organizations with programs have had them in place for three or more years. 64% with programs deemed value of investment more important than return on investment, a significant change from previous results in which employers were largely ROI-oriented. Employers with no pro- grams skew heavily toward smaller companies. Staff constraints (29%) and budget constraints (14%) were top reasons. S O U R C E : Willis Towers Watson

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