what’s working
measuring success
The payoff of wellness programs can be hard to quantify
on the balance sheet. How do you count the cost of a heart
attack that didn’t happen, or a pre-diabetic employee who
learns about the condition early, through screenings, and
never develops complications?
Sometimes those anecdotes are part of the success story.
“We can tell our program has made a difference. From
the individual success stories to the small things many
employees are doing on a daily basis to incorporate wellness into their lives, we know that wellness has become
part of our culture,” said Joe Misenti, Trident’s vice
president, administration/risk management and assistant
general counsel. “This has had a real impact on people’s
lives here.”
Trident offers up to $80 off for employees and their
spouses who take part in the biometric screenings and
wellness programs, potentially saving families $160 per
Anthony Avila lost 45 pounds and his asthma problem after he
began regular workouts in the new Trident Seafoods workout room,
month on health insurance premiums. That’s real money
built as part of the company’s wellness program.
for employees and for the company, but Misenti said it’s
worth it. They see their health insurance costs leveling
off, and their high-level analytics show results. People in high-risk categories are improving or holding stable.
The program not only rewards employees for healthier behavior, but also creates
a shared sense of investment in overall health care costs. Like car insurance, the
workforce understands that if they are all working toward wellness, they can help keep
Pearson Packaging Systems:
the company’s robust health insurance plans, said Misenti.
pearsonpkg.com
Pearson is self-insured so the company’s bottom line sees a direct benefit when their
employees have fewer costly claims. After years of double-digit increases in medical
Trident Seafoods:
costs, Pearson is now in the range of 1 to 2 percent increases, Johnson said. One year
tridentseafoods.com
they even saw an 11 percent decrease.
How much of that is due specifically to their wellness programs? It’s impossible
National Employee Wellness Month:
to completely say, but between reversing the cost curve, reducing workplace injuries
employeewellnessmonth.com
and seeing fitter, trimmer and happier employees, this is one investment that is
clearly paying off.
24 association of washington business