Contact
Brooke Miller Hall
Corporate Communications
(608) 825-5859
brooke.millerhall@win-na.com
(Sun Prairie, Wis.) — During the lunch hour at the Winterthur U.S. Holdings, Inc. and General Casualty headquarters in Sun Prairie employees are lifting weights, taking exercise classes and attending Weight Watchers meetings. Others are logging mileage on their company-provided pedometers and qualifying for prizes each day they reach 10,000 steps. Those who prefer to exercise outside work collect reimbursement checks from the company for their health club memberships and exercise classes.
Coined Club TLC (total lifestyle care), the corporate wellness program is both an employee benefit and a common sense business move. Introduced earlier this year, the program reimburses employees for health club memberships, exercise classes and Weight Watchers if they demonstrate consistent participation. Employee committees organize local wellness activities in 13 offices across Winterthur U.S. group’s operating territory. The committees coordinate brown bag lunches, walking clubs, health fairs and teams for charity run/walks. Activities that require budget dollars are sent to a corporate wellness committee for approval.
“Employees already have the desire to lead healthy lifestyles and meet their own wellness goals – we’re just providing encouragement and convenience,” said Anne Smith, Winterthur U.S. Holdings, Inc. senior vice president who oversees human resources. Smith adds that it makes financial sense to invest corporate dollars in wellness initiatives, which may decrease health insurance costs and lead to a happier, more productive workforce. For example, a recent study of 370,000 employees from various companies showed that corporate wellness programs reduced sick leave by 28 percent and yielded a 1:5.5 cost/benefit ratio (according to Proof Positive: An Analysis of the Cost-Effectiveness of Wellness, 2005).
So far about half of the employees (375) at the Sun Prairie headquarters have signed up for Club TLC. Two exercise classes are currently held at the office, and the Weight Watchers group shed 200 pounds during its last session. More than 150 employees use the company’s workout room, which has been onsite since 1982 and was expanded in 2001 to a 4,500-square foot health-club-like space. And the Sun Prairie walking club includes 343 members, who are sometimes found doing laps in the hallways between buildings during break times (eight laps equals 1 mile).
In partnership with the group’s health plan administrator, Wausau Benefits, all employees were also offered free, onsite health screenings earlier this year, including blood pressure and cholesterol tests. In addition to confidentially providing employees with important health information, the results will help the company benchmark the success of its wellness program and help the employee committees target their programming and activities.
