Reflecting on this time and their efforts with Workforce Health, Elizabeth Bohren, Benefits and Wellness Manager of the City, shares some insights.
What type of employee wellness programs and activities do you offer? How have you partnered with Workforce Health to support employee well-being?
Employee well-being is a key priority for our organization. We offer a wide variety of wellness initiatives, including one-on-one wellness coaching (with wellness, fitness and nutrition sessions available), fitness classes and wellness challenges covering physical activity, nutrition, hydration and stress management. We also host presentations – including live kitchen demonstrations and informational sessions on a variety of targeted topics – along with pop-up events like learning how to build a better breakfast or how to incorporate resistance bands into a workout routine. Annual health appraisals and a wellness book club round out our offerings.
We further support employee well-being through an onsite Workplace Clinic, with free services to eligible employees. This summer, our Workplace Clinic celebrated its 10-year anniversary – a milestone of which we are incredibly proud.
Our partnership with Workforce Health enhances these efforts by providing professional services, expert guidance and an outstanding team helping our employees stay healthy and supported throughout their employment with us.
What benefits do you see to the organization and employees as a result of these efforts?
Our employee wellness initiatives have delivered positive outcomes for both the organization and our employees. Employees benefit from improved physical and mental well-being, greater awareness of healthy lifestyle choices and access to preventive health and acute care services. These efforts contribute to a more engaged and resilient workforce, improved morale and enhanced productivity.
What advice do you have for a business just starting employee wellness initiatives?
Start by asking why wellness matters to your organization and let that answer become the center of your program. From there, understand the health of your population. Review your medical claims data to determine what your top cost drivers are and the risk factors behind them. This data will help you decide where to focus first.
Listen to your employees. Their interests and needs should help shape the direction of your program. Engagement is easier if your leadership team visibly buys in so make that a priority.
Finally, partner with experts in the field – you don’t have to build everything from scratch. Froedtert & MCW Workforce Health has been invaluable to us as we have grown our program over the years.
