1st Place | Category: 5,000-plus employees
Meredith Corporation
CT Headquarters: Rocky Hill
Industry: Media Marketing
Top Executive: Tom Harty, CEO
Meredith Corp.’s wellness program, offered to 5,600 employees and over 1,200 family members, isn’t just good for workers, it makes the company healthier as a whole.
“Meredith, along with most companies, has a significant annual medical spend and promoting healthy living is an important part of our strategy to managing the cost of our medical plan,” said Tom Harty, company CEO and president. “But even more important, we want employees to enjoy life and feel their very best.”
According to Wellness Manager Stephanie Orscheln, 90 percent of employees participate in the company’s wellness program.
“We believe it’s important to offer the right program to the right person at the right time, and that can mean different things to different people,” she said. “Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, participants are given several options for completing the wellness program to meet them where they are.”
A large component of the program is a focus on physical wellness. Volunteer hours and participation in events can earn workers up to $725 annually toward health-club memberships, and even more for dietician counseling, group programs and events like road races. Employees can even have $240 a year to cover the costs of bicycle commuting.
Because employees with three or more risk factors are twice as likely to develop heart disease and five times more likely to develop diabetes, reducing health risks is a top priority, Orscheln said. Enhanced wellness coaching is a key element in helping employees with multiple risk factors make significant change. Once employees complete a wellness screening, they can identify and address any concerns.
Meredith has seen results. Workers with high blood pressure saw a 50 percent reduction since launching the program, obesity is down by 11 percent and Meredith employees have lost over 60,000 pounds in since 2007.
Financial health is just as important to Meredith, which added education and programs like budgeting, setting and saving for long-term goals and understanding Meredith benefits. Employees over age 50 even receive a $500 lifetime benefit toward retirement planning with an advisor.
Participants in Meredith’s financial wellness program are 2.5 times as likely to improve their financial wellness score compared to those who do not complete the program. Over 80 percent of employees complete at least one course annually.
Orscheln said the financial well-being program has decreased the percentage of employees with high financial distress from 22 percent in 2010 to 8 percent in 2018.
The percentage of employees living paycheck-to-paycheck has gone from 41 percent to 22 percent.
