WellWorks! Helps Strategic America to Receive Healthiest Employer® of Iowa Finalist Recognition
The Healthiest Employer of Iowa Award recognizes organizations that proactively improve the health of their employees. This award program evaluates employers of all sizes, industries and stages of their corporate wellness program. As a member of the WellWorks! Wellness Committee, I was honored to discover that Strategic America had been selected as a finalist in the Small Business, Central Region category for this award. On June 10, the Healthiest Employers of Iowa Awards Luncheon was held in Cedar Rapids by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) and Business Record Iowa. Although SA didn’t take home the award this year, we’re thrilled to congratulate a partner of ours, Employee & Family Resources, and the other winners on their recognition as the 2014 Healthiest Employers of Iowa. They have quickly become a small business leader in wellness advocacy and programming.
To be considered for this award, we were asked to submit an online survey that calculated our Healthiest Employer Index (HEI), or aggregate score, which was used to rank us amongst participating organizations. The HEI was comprised of six categories:
- Culture and Leadership Commitment
- Foundational Components
- Strategic Planning
- Communication and Marketing
- Programming and Interventions
- Reporting and Analysis
We also were asked to respond to a few essay questions and offer statistics on our wellness program. Since the launch of WellWorks! in 2012, SA associates have truly embraced the wellness initiative and the statistics show it:
- 83% of associates participated in the wellness program in some form in 2013
- A 2013 wellness survey of associates indicated that 82% of associates incorporated healthy lifestyle changes as a result of the program
- In 2013, 78% of associates participated in an onsite biometric screening
- Associates averaged 604 hours of exercise per month in 2013
Not only were our essay results and HEI score used to compare us against our competition for the award, but they were also used to compare the state of Iowa against the nation.
What’s next?
So what do these numbers tell us? The state of Iowa has quite a bit of work to do if we are going to be named the Healthiest State by 2016. The Healthiest State Initiative may be something you have heard Governor Terry Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds speak about as they are truly champions of Iowa’s efforts.
The WellWorks! Committee is as excited and dedicated as ever to reaching our goal as being recognized as one of the Healthiest Employers of Iowa in the upcoming years. We were truly humbled by the honor of being a finalist for the award, but we’re looking for a Better Way. Always.
