Workplace wellness programs are only as successful as their results prove, and for many such programs, the truth is in the data.
At East Hartford-based Hoffman Auto Group, which also has locations in West Simsbury and New London, a wellness program with a weight-loss focus has resulted in the loss of nearly 1,000 pounds total among about 40 participants.
Hoffman’s director of public relations, Katie Bushey, said the company decided to use the Weight Watchers program, which puts point values on certain foods.
“We did a 17-week program, where people would come and meet once a week for an hour, weigh in and talk,” Bushey said. “If you came to 15 of 17 meetings, you were reimbursed a portion of what you paid (for the program) and you were also eligible for six top prizes.”
Hoffman also added a “Biggest Loser” aspect to the program, tracking total body percentage lost over the span of the program. The three men and three women with the highest percentage of weight lost were each awarded cash prizes.
Bushey said even though the 17-week initial program has concluded, many employees still meet once a week to talk about their weight loss and healthy eating challenges.
She said this program kicked off the company’s wellness initiative. “We’re trying to find something that works for our employees where they don’t have to pay much out of pocket,” she said.
Bushey said other possibilities include bringing in a nutritionist and offering discount gym memberships to employees.
Brenda Scully, who works in Hoffman’s Honda store in West Simsbury, participated in the program and has lost more than 30 pounds to reach her desired weight. Scully said having the program offered at work was the perfect opportunity for her.
“I had my co-workers help me,” she said. “If I had to do it on my own, I wouldn’t. Doing it with my co-workers and having the meetings readily available to me at work, it was huge for me. I saw the pounds come off really quickly because I did have that support and that incentive to go ahead and do this.”
Chris Ulbrich, chief operating officer at Ulbrich Stainless Steels and Special Metals of North Haven and Wallingford, said incentives have encouraged many of his 250 Connecticut employees to participate in the company’s various wellness initiatives over the past seven years.
“We’re doing things like giving blood pressure medicine away to entice people to take their blood pressure medicine,” he said. “We’re looking at the statistics, we’re benchmarking people and we’re seeing what our numbers are.”
Ulbrich said employees are screened through comprehensive health risk assessments, and the educational materials and supporting programs are catered to the needs of his employee population. He said he knows what they’re doing is working.
“People are healthier,” he said. “Over the past seven years, roughly, we’ve had single-digit increases in health care costs,” as opposed to the standard 10-15 percent increases most employers are seeing.
Ulbrich said about 80 percent of the company’s employees participate in at least one aspect of their wellness program.
At Reflexite, a manufacturing company in Avon, management has also been pushing wellness initiatives for several years, including seminars, speakers, contests and health risk assessment screenings.
Utilizing longtime partner, consultant Ovation Benefits, Reflexite decided to step up wellness efforts last year. The company joined the Wellness Councils of America and worked towards following the Councils’ benchmarks for a successful wellness program. Reflexite has since been recognized by the councils for its wellness initiatives.
“If you have only five or six percent (of your employees) in the “acute” category (for certain health conditions), it could account for 80 percent of claims,” said Dave Edgar, Reflexite vice president of human resources. “The easiest thing to do is to stop them from going down into those categories. So we decided to get more data-driven about wellness.”
Reflexite increased cash incentives to employees for participation in several company-offered programs. The company has also launched a more intense preventive program.
“Rather than drawing a pin-prick of blood, we’re drawing a vile,” Edgar said. “We’re going to pay for more employees to go through biometric screenings.”
Reflexite will also choose 18 to 20 people with high cholesterol from its 140 employees to participate in a weekly, eight-hour class with a dietician, all expenses paid. Those who complete the program and its more comprehensive biometric screening will see a 10 percent reduction in what they would have paid for their health care premiums next year.
“We’re trying to put our money where our mouth is,” Edgar said.
Steve Shields, left, East Hartford body shop manager, finished first in the men’s division of Hoffmnan Auto Group’s wellness competition. With him are Lauren Deschaine, third among women, and Pete Cistulli, second to Shields.
At Hoffman Auto Group, Margaret Edes, left, and Caroline Bardoli, center front, run an ongoing Weight Watchers meeting even after the company’s official program ended. Brandoli was the first place womens winner and Brenda Scully, right, finished second in the contest. With them is Jess Nivison, the Weight Watchers meeting leader.
