The chart below summarizes the programs included in the Mayors Wellness Campaign toolbox for employers. For more information on any specific programs and resources, see www.mayorswellnesscampaign.org.
| Company | Program and Results | Innovative Ideas |
| Mutual of Omaha Omaha, NE Employees: 5,000 |
On-site fitness center and several wellness challenges throughout the year. 130.3 total pounds lost, 29.1 inches lost (based on anatomical circumference measurements). | Encourages employees to walk the tunnels on their break. The fitness center has classes at all times of the day and class length is slightly less than lunch break. Flex time encourages exercise during the workday. |
| Jackson Kelly Charleston, WV Employees: 450 |
“100 miles in 100 days” walking challenge by giving free pedometers. Health insurance premiums decreased by 21 percent and absenteeism is down by 27 percent. | Onsite physicians and trainers provide health risk assessments in exchange for advertising and relationship development. |
| Wyeth Madison, NJ Employees: 930 |
On-site fitness center and mapped and measured walking paths. 56 percent of Wyeth employees are fitness center members. Of the employees who took the follow up test at the end of the year, 2005, 40 percent of members decreased their body fat composition. | Staggering the cost of fitness center membership based on income “FitBucks”, which encourages participation and provides an additional incentive for tracking progress. Many ways to earn FitBucks. |
| Masterfoods USA Nat’l offices in Hackettstown, NJ and Vernon, CA Employees: 7000 |
Mars on the Move walking program and holiday weight maintenance challenge. 88% of the Masterfoods USA employee population signed up for the program. 68% of those responding to the Final Survey increased their steps by at least 2000 steps per day. | Encouraging weight maintenance during the difficult holiday season is a unique time to remind individuals of the importance of healthy living. A shuttle to a local fitness facility for those places that do not have one on site is a thoughtful way to encourage exercise. |
| University of Washington Seattle, WI Employees:25,000 |
Walk to Work and Bike in the Rain challenges to encourage active commuting. 470 Walkers and 800 Bikers across the year, including January. | Repeated mailing information about commuting programs to people living within a certain radius of campus. Creating detailed maps of the campus area with walking paths and distances measured. Departmental challenge with point system. |
| University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH Employees:9,800 |
$2,500 loan to any employee willing to buy a home close enough that they can walk to work. | Setting aside significant endowment funds to both encourage walking to work, living in the neighborhood, and homeownership. Sending reminders about the program with employee pay stubs. |
| CATMA Burlington, VT Participants: 650 |
Walk/Bike to Work program with local businesses sponsoring prizes in return for a certain number of walks/rides. The program began with 17 participants and has now increased to 655 registered participants who walk or bike to work. | “Work Bucks” Reward Program for agreeing to walk or bike twice a week. Providing taxi rides home in the case of an emergency or inclement weather – this prevents employees from making the “unknown” their excuse for not walking or biking. |
| Ohio on the Move Cincinnati, OH Employees: 28 |
“On the Move” walking challenge to encourage 2,000 additional steps every day. With 96% of the employees participating, they completed nearly 9 million steps in the seven week program. | Cross country virtual trails is a unique way to track team progress and formulate weekly challenges. Weekly updates and recognition for progress kept participants engaged. |
| Ocean Medical Center Neptune, NJ Employees:1,400 |
“Fit to Win” weight loss challenge: by the end of the competition, the participants had lost a total of 425 pounds, and a total of 76 inches off their waistlines. Though the amount of weight loss varied from person to person, every team member lost weight. | Weekly weigh-ins and public posting of results keep motivation high for participants. Competition participants participated in “Lunch and Learns”. Daily food and exercise diary prevent unintentional lapses in program. |
| City of Monroe, NC Employees: 400 |
“Why Weight” weight loss challenge: over a period of four months, the teams competed against each other to lose a total of 1,200 pounds. Over 47% of the people that participated lost 6% of their total weight or more. Some people lost up to 50 pounds. | Wellness-specific newsletter keeps employees informed about fitness programs. Coaching and support networks through small weight loss teams was low-cost to the employer, and enabled results even without a dedicated medical professional assigned to each team. |
| Highsmith, Inc. Fort Atkinson, WI Employees: 225 |
Monetary incentive for completing health care screening. If they meet this requirement, the company pays 75% of the employee’s health care premiums. If they do not meet these criteria, the company only pays 60% of the employee’s premiums. Health insurance premium increase of only 4.6% from 2002-2006. National averages in double digit increases. For 2005, only 1.07% increase. | Highsmith has a corporate culture that is conducive to promoting healthy lifestyle choices. They do not merely have a very broad physical and mental health wellness program; they have a strategic initiative that is an innate part of the culture, tied to corporate values. TAG: Total commitment to developing human potential; Access to learning opportunities; Growth as an individual and company. Implemented through EAP and health plan, increases trust. Daily stretching exercise for warehouse staff prevents injuries. |
| Johnson and Johnson Headquartered in New Brunswick, NJ Employees: 45,000 |
$500 incentive for employees to bi-annually take Health Risk Assessment and follow-up work consult and recommendations. Reduction in medical care costs amounted to a savings per employee of $225 annually. Johnson & Johnson savings averaged $8.5 million annually, primarily due to lower administrative and medical utilization cost, reductions in hospital admissions, mental health visits and outpatient service use. | The aggregate data collected from the health risk assessments helps the health-care group choose the right wellness programs for the exact needs of the population. This allows the company to use hard data to guide their wellness program choices rather than relying on mere opinions or guesses. Using back of the bathroom stall door to advertise wellness programs – a captive audience! Onsite wellness facilities. |
| Blue Shield San Francisco, CA Employees: 4,500 |
Up to $200 for employee logging onto an online health management program. A combined total of 14,319 pounds lost during the first two years of the program. Decreased health risks from pre-program | Self-governing online program to manage health called “Healthy Lifestyle Rewards”. Concerns about confidentiality addressed up front. Web-based programs offer scalability, after extensive testing. |
