2008 WorkWell Healthy Workplace Program Designations Summary24 employers received WorkWell Healthy Workplace designations in 2009 for their 2008 efforts. Here is a list of the designees, along with some of the activities they accomplished to earn designation. Happy Heart Awards City of Olympia Gold: 94.5 Roxy Silver: FASTSIGNS Bronze: H & R Block Designation Requirements: Happy Heart Awards: For special distinction in workplace wellness Gold: Showed leadership support & 1
activity in both physical activity and healthy eating Silver: Showed leadership support & 1 activity in either physical activity or healthy eating Bronze: Showed leadership support in either physical activity or healthy eating Project Summaries: 94.5 Roxy Roxy provides indoor theft-free storage space for employees’ bikes. Incentive programs are in place to encourage employees to utilize health and fitness clubs in the area. Employees are awarded memberships by meeting performance goals. 94.5 Roxy has made possible, free to employees, participation in the Regence Health Coach program, which offers a confidential relationship with a qualified personal health coach who works one on one to help employees set and accomplish wellness goals. Roxy has encouraged employees to be smoke-free by offering positive verbal reinforcement and timely scientific articles on the negative effects of second-hand smoke to family members. As a result, one new father successfully quit. A Steve's Professional Truck Mounted Steam Cleaning In 2008 theystarted handing out monthly tips on proper nutrition and fitness. Information so far has been provided by www.ballyfitness.com and other various sites. No cost gym memberships have been made available to employees who make use of the program at least twice a week. Also, a nintendo wii has been purchased to promote healthy indoor exercise on breaks. Filtered and/or bottled water is made available to all employees at no charge. Proper hydration is needed for employees to stay healthy. City of Olympia The City of Olympia formed an annual city-wide “Health and Wellness Committee” where representatives from each department meet regularly throughout the year to discuss efforts to promote healthy eating, physical activity and other healthy lifestyle choices. They instituted the city-wide PRISM Award program to publicly recognize departments that achieve a standard of excellence in promoting a healthy lifestyle. Employees participated in a Health Risk Appraisal where they underwent a blood test to determine cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and glucose levels in addition to weight, body fat percentage, and blood pressure. Participants got the results immediately along with diet and exercise suggestions. Employees who chose to participate received a $35 incentive and were eligible for a free on-site chair massage. The City of Olympia also provided a financial incentive for employees who walked, skated, or biked to work. They participated in the “Love Your Mother” campaign, a four-week program which encouraged employees to increase their level of healthy activities and their intake of naturally healthy food choices to reduce their impact on the environment. To promote healthy eating, the City’s Parks Department held a “Healthy Cooking Demonstration” where employees learned how to prepare nutrient-dense foods in a healthy way. The Public Works Department held a potluck style “Healthy Soup/Stew Challenge” where recipes were provided and prizes were awarded in several categories. Employees participating in the Weight Watchers program, or any other nationally recognized eating program, were offered a series of financial incentives for attending regular meetings and losing specific percentages of weight. The Administrative Services Department held a “Cooperative Play Day” where employees participated in two hours of organized games designed to promote physical activity and reduce stress. The Parks, Art and Recreation Department sponsored monthly activities for all city employees to participate in during their lunch hour including bowling, disc golf, kayaking, tennis, bike riding, and swimming. The City of Olympia also held its annual “Wellness Recognition Event” to recognize the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through exercise and proper nutrition. Employees were offered paid time to enjoy a healthy lunch and participate in fitness activities such as yoga, rock wall climbing, bowling, and walking. Curves Curves highly encourage their employees to work out on our circuit 30 minutes a day at least three times a week. They do this by being on-site, covering customer service duties, so they can take time to take care of themselves. In addition, they do monthly weigh and measures to keep them in-tune with their bodies. They provide complimentary, healthy snacks such as nuts, fruit, and water to ensure we keep their bodies fueled. They have even been known to bring lunch/dinner to employees when they have unexpectedly been asked to work longer hours. FASTSIGNS FASTSIGNS has a kitchen equipped with a refrigerator, microwave, and George Foreman grill to encourage employees to bring and store healthy food to prepare for lunch. They provided their employees with free gym memberships to encourage physical fitness. Employees are given “exercise time” at lunch and strongly encouraged stay fit due to the fast pace of business. GHB Insurance, Inc. GHB Insurance held a kick-off campaign in July where new staff members received pedometers and stretch bands to encourage participation in the WorkWell program. They continue to offer healthier snack choices in their vending machine including V8 juice, Slim Fast, peanuts, and trail mix. They provide a refrigerator, microwave, toaster oven, and a George Foreman grill to make it easy for staff to prepare a healthy lunch from home. Employees are given flexible lunch schedules to allow time to walk or work out, and umbrellas are provided to encourage walking during the rainy season. Higher Education Coordinating Board HECB encouraged a healthy lifestyle by distributing a monthly wellness newsletter to its employees and posting informative flyers in restrooms. Topics included healthy eating, blood pressure, smoking cessation and more. They also implemented a monthly “fruit and veggie” campaign, healthy potlucks and walking campaigns. They encourage their employees to take walking breaks around both their 1.1 mile and .4 mile loops available on site and provided umbrellas for employees to walk in the rain. Over the summer, HECB held a “Biggest Walker” contest where teams tracked their steps during the contest period and winning teams were awarded I-pod shuffles. They also participated in the “Healthy Worksite Initiative” and came in second place for completion of health risk assessments among state agencies. H & R Block Attended workshops in 2008 to become familiar with the concept of healthy snacks. Also, worked with a trainer to inquire as to what type of physical activities can be done at work. Even though H & R Block has several offices in Thurston County, the Ruddell Rd. office is the only office that has implemented healthy snacks and physical activity. The concept of healthy snacks and some light activities were brought to the attention of the employees during their first meeting. All employees liked the idea. This was put into place by collecting funds from the employees and purchasing their healthy snacks. They also brought in a stability ball and weights for some light activity to keep the circulation going after sitting for so long. They have set up a corporate account with Curves. Employees are encouraged to workout outside the office as well. Jensen Kokis Law PS The president attended many of the Workplace Wellness informational meetings during 2008. All of the information was shared at their staff meetings. Staff was instructed in workplace exercises intended to relieve the accumulated stress that a desk job can create on the body. They are encouraged to take time out through each day to stretch. Their facility has on-site shower facilities that make it easier for staff to exercise before work or during the work day. They have the capacity for safe bike storage for employees who would like to bike to work or those who would like to keep a bike on site for use during their lunch hour. They have implemented walking staff meetings whenever the subject matter allows. It has been a great opportunity for them to explore their neighborhood while invigorating their discussions with the energy gained from exercise and fresh air. They offer a full service kitchen so that staff can bring in healthy lunches and snacks. They also provide bottled water for drinking and provide decaffinated beverages. In addition to the full service kitchen, they encourage their staff to take time away from their desks for lunch. They do not have strict break times, and employees are free to take a break as needed for their well-being. When they have group meetings that include food, they always make sure that healthy food choices are provided such as fruits and vegetables in addition to those wonderful sweet treats. LOTT Alliance In 2008, the Wellness Committee purchased two general use bicycles outfitted with helmets, carrying racks, and locks for employee use during lunch to either run errands downtown, or go for a relaxing ride with a coworker. In 2008, the Wellness Committee also sponsored the following programs to encourage staff to exercise: 1. Poker Walk Contest – This popular annual event is a five-week program that awards playing cards when individuals join walking groups during lunch. At the end of the contest, prizes are awarded both for the best poker hand and by random drawing of participants’ names. 42% of our staff completed this program. 2. President’s Challenge Fall Fitness Campaign – This program provided a $20 gift card incentive to all individuals who successfully completed the online President’s Challenge, which required participants to engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity, 5 days per week, for 6 out of 8 weeks. Nearly one third of LOTT employees successfully completed the challenge and several indicated that the program inspired them to increase their regular level of physical activity. 3. Walking Meetings – When feasible, staff members conduct “walking meetings,” discussing issues and options and resolving problems while incorporating exercise into their day. 4. Healthy Chili Cook-Off & Pony Express Race – 50% of their employees formed teams and participated in the “Pony Express Race,” a relay race in which they carried an egg on a cowboy hat while riding a stick pony through an obstacle course. Lucky Eagle Casino Lucky Eagle put on their own version of the Biggest Winner Competition. They structured the contest by having winners in both actual pounds lost and those who lowered their BMI. During the kick-off party, they had a vendor take measurements of BMI, weight, blood sugar and cholesterol. This gave the associates an indicator of where they were at and what they needed to do to get there. They encourage the associates to take “active” breaks, give out pedometers, and promote stairs usage. Along the staircases are posters with encouragement and calorie information. Many of their associates have formed groups to walk at breaks around the property and go up/down the stairs. They also reimburse gym membership fees for those associates who go to the gym at least 3 times per week per month. Having the competition as the launching point for the healthy initiatives really got their associates thinking about health and wellness. The Casino made changes to the employee dining menu, normally filled with burgers and deep fried fare. They started to replace the items with garden burgers, fresh fruit as a side, a free salad bar, offered more deli sandwiches and salad options, plus, instead of all deep fry they have the options of grilled or baked items. They offer the associates free oatmeal or cream of wheat in the morning, since rumor has it, breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Morningside Coinciding with the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Morningside conducted the “Morningside Wellness Olympics.” This was an 8 week focused effort on improving the health of their employees through increased activity and lifestyle changes. Personal activity logs were printed and distributed to all employees to track their efforts. Points were awarded for different levels of activity. They offered prizes for top performing individuals and teams. Competition categories included: increased physical activity, weight loss, and smoking cessation. Staff could compete individually or in teams of 2 or teams of 3 or more. Prizes for each category and size of team were “healthy lifestyle” related (e.g. gym membership, etc.) They organized healthy potlucks and birthday breaks – celebrating employee birthdays in that month – featured healthy foods instead of cake. They also created a healthy cookbook from various sources (US Dept of Health, Heart Association, American Diabetic Association, etc). Employees were encouraged to review the cookbook and make copies of any recipes for them to use at home. North Thurston Public Schools North Thurston Public Schools initiated a staff wellness program in 2008. They developed a website as a valuable resource for employees to access information on healthy eating and lifelong physical activity. The website updates monthly to provide a variety of healthy recipes and resources for physical activity opportunities. The website also includes information for discounted fitness club memberships and ways to connect with a walking partner. They launched an annual program called the “WellPower Walking Challenge” to encourage employees to walk together. They provided mapped indoor and outdoor routes and had over 200 employees who participated. At the completion of the challenge, participants received a pedometer and “WellPower” t-shirt. O Bee Credit Union O Bee provides a “Wellness Allowance” as an employee benefit to all employees. Full-time staff can be reimbursed for up to $300 per year and part-time staff can be reimbursed for up to $150 per year. Staff may use the wellness allowance for gym memberships, home gym equipment, fitness videos and software, and Weight Watchers dues. The budget for this was $12,000.00. The Wellness Team is in charge of “Stall Talk,” which are inspirational messages for employees that are placed inside the restroom stalls. The messages include information on how to get more exercise into your daily schedule, the benefits of exercise, and the benefits of healthy eating. “Stall Talk” is available at all branches. For the last four years they have challenged area credit unions to join us in a 10K-a-Day walking competition during the month of May. They give all staff free step counters and we track steps using America on the Move. O Bee provides prizes to top walkers as an outreach opportunity to credit unions in our community to get out the word about physical fitness. For 2008, five credit unions joined us in the competition. They also hosted an “Active Break” competition. Every time a staff member walked or did some form of exercise during their break they filled out a ticket with their name on it. A drawing was held at the end of the eight-week program and the winners from each department received $50 gas cards. Our message was: Taking breaks during the day actually leads to higher concentration levels and reduced stress. It also increases your ability to return to work more refreshed. Port of Olympia The Port created a “WorkWell” bulletin board at the main office with short articles or tips on health related topics and upcoming health-related event. They set a new policy for healthy lifestyle choices, which encourages healthy food choices at meetings and working lunches and encourages walking meetings, walking groups and exercise during the workday. Healthy food at meetings is now a given. They also posted Steps and WorkWell posters in all of the buildings and distributed Steps payroll stuffers with the paychecks. In the monthly inter-office employee newsletter a section called “Health and Wealth” was added. In it, recipes and health related articles including brain exercises appear. Healthy recipes are being collected for the Port cookbook (to be published at the end of the year). The proceeds from the sale of this book will go to the food bank. Bottled water is available for free in all of the offices. They participated in the YMCA Steps That Count IV Challenge. The Port had a team of 12 people that participated in the challenge. One of our employees was one of the highest steppers in the challenge. They also have a regular group that walks over the lunch hour. Physicians of Southwest Washington PSW formalized their "Healthy Meeting Food Policy" meeting organizers are encouraged to utilize the policy when planning meetings. PSW also provides Healthy Choices for employees; there are always fresh fruits and vegetables available in the kitchen for staff and guests. The "Flex Time Policy" was formalized in the employee manual. All employees are encouraged to take their breaks, or flex their hours to participate in physical activities. They utilized payroll stuffers to encourage increased activity, provided pedometers to employees who want them and developed a bulletin board in the kitchen with articles from the newspaper, laminated walking maps to popular places down town, and copies of the payroll stuffers for reference. Theyhave encouraged employees to form walking groups and asked employees already walking on breaks to invite co-workers to join them. They had an occasional "Free Lunch Friday” and encouraged healthier choices when that occasion arises, reminding employees that they are a "Healthy Work Place". They also had a dietician at a staff meeting to talk about "Healthy Eating". ProActive SportsMed ProActive SportsMed continually provides healthy foods, snacks, and beverages during meetings and company parties. They consulted with a nutritionist for healthy eating ideas and provided employees with a gym membership. They offered extended lunch breaks and a flexible schedule to allow employees to workout. Providence St. Peter Hospital Providence St. Peter Hospital offered free wellness screenings and a personalized fitness program to all employees. The on site fitness center is equipped with state of the art equipment, and they offer a wide range of group exercise classes. High health risk employees were offered a program called “Life Fit” where they received free personal training and access to the on site fitness center. They hired a full time wellness coordinator to promote a healthy lifestyle among employees, who also provided stretching, strengthening, and stress reduction sessions to individual departments at various times throughout the day and week. The Wellness Coordinator also lead a “fit in fifteen” exercise class where employees can participate on their lunch break free of charge. Providence St. Peter Hospital promoted group activities for cycling and hiking during the summer by starting a cycling club and installing bike lockers on site to encourage participation. The PSPH Cafeteria continued to offer the “STEP into the Winner’s Circle” nutrition program and added new healthy vendor food choices such as 100% fruit juices and other nutritional drinks. They also encouraged their staff to use the on site fitness center by extending the hours over the summer, and held a “Biggest Loser” contest in December by providing incentives for employees who made health and fitness changes. Robert Mitchell Employees set weekly goals to complete 4 activities for a 30-40 minute period. They have flexible schedule options so each employee can walk or workout. Healthy snacks and water are provided to each employee as well as a complimentary cookbook. Senior Services for South Sound Senior Services for South Sound allowed staff and volunteers, despite being under the age of 55, to be able to join in their Seniors weekly daytime “Healthy Steps Walkers Groups”, and “Enhance Fitness Programs.” They added two new fitness classes, Yoga and Tai Chi in 2008. After 5pm time slots were also added so that those who find it difficult to participate during the daytime because of the sensitive needs of their clients, who are low-income frail elders, can still take part. These classes are free of charge to their staff, and have a "drop in when you can" policy. They improved the nutrition in the lunchroom, improving on the already existing RDA rules set by the federal government for senior clients by sourcing locally grown food. Employees also eat at the lunchroom and eat exactly what the clients do, for a higher fee of course. Their coffee bar also provides snacks to all who purchase a cup of coffee. Usually those snacks would be high-fat high-sugar muffins, cakes and cookies, but in 2008 they began offering big bowls of fresh fruit and fresh veggies like carrot sticks so that they all have healthy options. They are committed to offering healthy small meals, such as salads and healthy sandwiches in the Coffee Bar for those who cannot attend their usual congregate meal. Sunset Air Inc. Sunset Air Managers attended the November WorkWell meeting put on by the Thurston County Chamber. As a result, they discussed among other managers about providing healthy food for training meetings (sandwiches instead of pizza, no chips, fruit alternative). They requested vendors to please provide healthy options when bringing in food for training and/or visits. Provided information regarding stretch and flex to field employees. Posted Eat Well to Work Well posters in work areas and lunch rooms. Exercise promotion poster posted in break rooms and throughout the office. Dedicated the use of a room for an exercise class offered several times a week. Strength training, low impact exercise class led by an office employee was made available to all employees during the week. Equipment provided for employees trying out class for the first time (first session they try). Provided umbrellas for employees that choose to take lunchtime walks. Encouraged employees to "walk" to the bank, library, store during their lunch hours. Removed the candy and pop machines from the premises and installed a refrigerator with a water filter system making filtered water accessible to employees at all times. Stressed "healthy" alternatives for meetings (fresh fruits instead of cookies, etc.) Provide bottled water for guests and meetings of employees. TAGS Awards/Williams Group Marketing + Design In the summer months, the company offered their staff Paid Time Off for time they spent on their Wii Fit system or walking during breaks and lunch times. They could earn up to 4 hours off during the promotion (at a rate of ½ hour for every hour they worked out.) Each week they offered a “special” promotion for staff. Promotions included a Wii Bowling tournament, Soccer, Step, and Yoga exercise using the Wii. Weekly prizes included Subway certificates, etc. They measured some nearby walking paths for staff to take 10 and 20 minute walks on breaks. These routes are now posted around their offices. They also created a series of tips on staff email and in common areas. Half the tips included physical activity suggestions and half supported healthy eating. The Creative Office Annually The Creative Office holds a "biggest loser" weight loss competition among the employees. It is strictly voluntary. Teams of two are randomly selected which is extra incentive to do well because you don't want to let down your teammate. The competition lasts for 90 days and is held twice a year. They offer flexible lunch hours and start times so employees can work out before work or during lunch hours. This is made easier because a gym is located nearby. When the weather is favorable staff is encouraged to get out and walk during lunch. Thurston County In May-September of 2008, Thurston County participated in the Action Planning for a Healthy Workforce Assessment. This assessment is designed for organizations that are ready to take a closer look at employee health and fitness and can be used for develop a short-term and/or long term plan of action. Thurston County assessed all 23 of it’s worksites in four main topic areas: Workforce Health Promotion, Physical Activity at Work, Healthy Eating during Work Hours, and Air Quality at Work. The report that came from the assessment of the county allows Thurston County leadership to not only prioritize and set goals for workforce health in the future but also to see where their own organizational strengths lie. This program was a part of the Steps to a Healthier Washington in Thurston County and the WorkWell program. It is a valuable guide to future planning for employee health and fitness programming and policy change at Thurston County. To date, having completed the assessment has led to the County offering of LiveWell workshops as a paid training for those county employees who have chronic illnesses. Thurston County Chamber of Commerce This year the Chamber offered a monetary gift if a staff member decided to join a gym. They report to have achieved a healthier atmosphere, more energetic staff and virtually no absenteeism. What they didn't anticipate - but really appreciate - is the commitment staff has made and the sharing of information. The snack machine remains in place, however, staff requested and management required the vendor add additional healthy choices. Timberland Regional Library Timberland Regional Library participated in Walktober this year during the month of October. Staff logged either minutes or steps each day. Staff was encouraged to walk during breaks and lunches. The Walktober website allowed them to map new walking routes in their community. Human Resources sent emails encouraging staff to try the new features of the Walktober site. They used a grant from Washington Counties Insurance Fund to purchase step counters and flashing safety strobes as sign up incentives and 4 iPods and finisher drawings. Staff increased exercised, on average, from 1 day a week to 5 days a week during the program. TOGETHER! TOGETHER! gave staff an extra paid half hour lunch to provide enough walking time to get to and from Huntamer Park for the summer “Concert in the Park” series, without disrupting regular lunch times. The park is .6 miles away, which was a good opportunity for staff to walk over a mile and increase their physical activity. They increased the healthy snacks available during meetings, and also purchased blenders and kept smoothie supplies available at each office location during the summer. The blender continues to be available for staff to use throughout the year. TOGETHER! continues to provide healthy snack options at all meetings and trainings. Healthier food choices were available to staff by having the WorkWell Committee go on weekly shopping trips to provide the agency with a variety of fruits and vegetables. All produce was available to staff for meetings. Also, the fruit was available to use for smoothies. They also provided staff with 4 trainings on how to increase their daily fruit and vegetables and why it is beneficial for them. Staff was also given the opportunity to take a cooking class at Bayview School of Cooking called “The Veritable Vegetable” where different vegetable dishes were presented. One staff reported “learning new ways to cook vegetables that otherwise I wouldn’t eat.” Tumwater Chiropractic Center PLLC Tumwater Chiropractic Center PLLC has a kitchen equipped for employees to bring healthy meals from home, and when holding staff meetings they have a healthy lunch at a restaurant. Employees are encouraged to use the fully equipped on site fitness center and are offered free personal training. A bike rack was installed to encourage employees to bike to work and employees encourage each other by keeping a group “adventure journal” to document hiking and other physical activities. Venture Bank Every year, the Wellness Committee sets its sights on monthly campaigns. Some of the campaigns successfully executed included: Water safety tips and on how to avoid heat exhaustion; Self-breast exam checklists for men and women; Tips on how to get better sleep; Tips on how to successfully quit smoking. In January, a search for healthy recipes was launched throughout the company. Recipes low in fat and calories were selected and included in the first edition of the Venture Bank Wellness Committee Cookbook. Not only was the cookbook posted on the company intranet, but a grand prize winner was selected and was awarded a copy of "Deceptively Delicious," a popular cookbook designed to help people incorporate vegetables and fruits into everyday foods. Venture Bank also participated, sponsored and worked with the Relay for Life campaigns in Thurston County. In order to inspire employees to maintain their walking/running programs during the shorter months of the year, illuminated safety bracelets were given to any employee that participated in a community walking/running event, including the Relay for Life. West Coast Bank Each year West Coast Bank has a "theme" for the year. In 2008, their theme was "Fit & Great in 2008". They established a program called "Health Heroes" and developed a Misson Statement and Vision Goals to support the effort. The "Health Heroes" program was launched with a monthly wellness curriculum that focused on preventive care, healthy eating and physical activity. With their West Coast Bank "Health Heroes" they not only encouraged physical activity - they did it together in staff meetings (well, they practiced stretching exercises you can do at your desk). They had different "Health Hero" staff meetings devoted to "Let's Get Moving" - the importance of aerobic exercise, strength training and stretching, "Walk this Way" - encouraging 10,000 steps per day and using pedometers to track success - available free to all employees, and "Stretching" - where each team reviewed the benefits and essentials of stretching. YMCA Youth & Government Physical activity is encouraged during the work week by scheduling "gym time" as a staff. In the past YMCA Youth & Government has partnered with the South Sound YMCA to give staff YMCA memberships in order to encourage them to stay physically active. This year Youth & Government staff have been given the additional incentive of scheduled staff time once a week to take part in a class or individual fitness activity at the YMCA. |
Recognizing
2008 Employer Efforts - Thurston County Chamber - Thurston
County Public Health & Social Services Department WorkWell Homepage I Thurston County Chamber |