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Companies invest in health
By Molly Parker
Staff Writer
Last year, when the Noisette Co. was the subject of scrutiny for its work on the old Charleston Naval Base, Diane Knott wanted to give the employees a token of appreciation for weathering the tough times.
She thought about dinner and a bottle of wine. And then she thought again.
“One glass of wine may take the edge off the stress now, but I knew it wouldn’t do anything for them the next day or the next month,” said Knott, who is an investor in the company and the wife of Noisette CEO John Knott.
The gift she settled on: a full-center fitness gym and a personal trainer.
“I felt like our employees were really being beaten up (in the press) and they needed something to help them feel good about themselves and to de-stress and to work on their health,” she said.
“I wanted to do something to show that we appreciated everything they do for Noisette as just a little thank you. It helps them to be healthier. It helps them to be more fit, and, in the long run, it benefits the company because they’re healthier and fit.”
Across the country, and here in the Lowcountry, employers are embracing the concept that encouraging healthy habits among employees makes a company healthier.
The notion that healthy employees will get sick less and have the stamina to work harder—the outcome of numerous workplace studies in recent years—smacks of common sense. But can efforts to shrink waistlines really grow a bottom line?
Deb Campeau thinks so.
As Trident Health System’s assistant vice president of business development, Campeau chairs the Well Region of Charleston Steering Committee.
Trident, in affiliation with the Wellness Councils of America, is a lead partner in the initiative, which is a 36-month project of the Charleston business community aimed at improving the health status of employees through carefully crafted workplace wellness programs.
The hospital has a stake in the outcome, she said.
“The reason we got involved in a leadership position is because we saw that no matter how well off folks are, even if they’re insured, if they come to our emergency room with unmanaged diabetes or blood pressure, they’re a very expensive client for us and the employer,” she said.
But to be effective, she said, employee health programs need to be more thought-out than putting a bowl of fruit on the table and a discount to a gym.
“It’s real tempting for employers to just jump into activities without knowing whether that’s the correct strategy for their company,” she said. “And when they see what needs to be done they try to do world peace. They say, ‘Oh man, diabetes, obesity, let’s try to fix all of this.’ ”
The participating companies have implemented unique and creative programs specific to the needs of their employers, she said. One company, for instance, found that its employees had poor eating habits and started a “Fiber Fridays” to introduce employees to healthier foods.
For others, it’s a matter of providing healthy options in the vending machine or rolling out voluntary fitness programs where employees are rewarded for meeting self-established fitness targets, she said.
The goal of the initiative is for at least 20 area companies employing at least 20% of the work force to achieve national Well Workplace designation, a status bestowed by the Wellness Councils on employers who implement a personalized program and that show measured improvements over a number of months.
Achieving that goal in totality would give the Charleston area the coveted Well Region designation, she said.
In the meantime, the effort is boosting morale at Trident United Way, said April Brown, the not-for-profit’s health and wellness coordinator.
Brown took the position in September, following a four-month window when the organization was without a health coordinator. As soon as she took over, Brown said, colleagues started begging her to start programs.
Among other things, Trident Untied Way hosts a “First Friday” on the first Friday of every month during which time employees bring in healthy dishes and then swap recipes.
Employees also participate in a walking program using pedometers to measure their steps each quarter, and Brown said she is searching for a yoga instructor that will be able to teach a voluntary class during the lunch hour.
“This year, we’re strengthening our evaluation process to see how employee health is improving year after year,” she said, adding that in the end the organization would like to show measured results in decreased absenteeism and health claims in an effort to lower insurance premiums.
With the renewed focus on employee health, it’s important that employers not neglect the mind, said Cordes Simpson, a licensed professional counselor at Palmetto Behavioral Health.
Employers should watch for red flags, such as a change in work habits, sloppy dress or unusual disorganization among generally good employees. The best thing an employer can do for a troubled worker is to have an open ear, and then refer them to the employee assistance program because it could be the boss, after all, that’s causing heartache.
Another thing employers can do to aid mental health is as easy as being flexible with work hours, and communicating as much news as possible with employees, particularly in times of economic angst. Trusting relationships are often built outside the office with company picnics or impromptu lunches, she said.
“It helps when employers have a good relationship with employees and communicate with them about what’s going on,” she said. “People don’t like being surprised.”
Molly Parker is a staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail her directly at mparker@setcommedia.com.
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