Giving employees incentive to get fit

Participants in the Mississippi Department of Transportation's employee fitness/wellness program.

After spending some time in the Weight Watchers program, Lynda Street started seeing results.

"I looked quite different and felt like a million dollars," she said. "… Accountability and support are the two key factors for us. We work together, exercise together, eat together, share our victories and defeats, and pass along recipes and tips regarding food items."

It probably wasn’t something she would have begun on her own. The program was offered by Mississippi College, her employer, as a way to help its workers live healthier.

And MC is not alone; employee fitness and wellness programs are a smart idea, for several reasons.

The first, of course, is that it helps companies keep their workers healthy. By putting such programs in place, businesses are offering incentive where there might otherwise not be any.

And the results bring another, more tangible payoff.

“Every year healthcare costs continue to rise, becoming an increasing burden for businesses,” said Cass Wheeler, CEO of the American Heart Association.

Citing a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study, Wheeler said fitness programs reduce employer health care costs from 20 to 55 percent. His agency offers the Start! campaign that offers employers the tools they need to begin a fitness program for their workers.

Elaina Jackson, communications director of the AHA’s Greater Southeast Affiliate, said a handful of corporations in the metro area are signed on with the Start! program, including Baptist Health Systems and UMC.

Dr. Chad Rhoden, director of preventive medicine and health management at Baptist, said its program focuses on heart health, but also places heavy emphasis on increasing physical activity, improving nutritional habits, smoking cessation and managing diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

“Each area has a strong educational component. That’s the basis,” he said. Baptist’s program began in July 2007, and “over the past year, the participation has improved” thanks to grant funding and more people hearing about its benefits.

The biggest positive outcome, he said, has been improved quality of life for program participants.

“We’ve seen improvement in the biometric markers such as blood pressure and weight,” he said.

And that, in turn, will benefit the company. Baptist focuses on the highest risk employees in the company, he said, which aren’t a huge percentage of the whole. But it’s a proven and smart approach, and one that is in line with how the program began.

“It began from discussions internally about the rising cost of health care that’s occurring nationwide, and that affects the Baptist system, and the Baptist medical cost, the productivity at Baptist and absenteeism related to work,” he said. “These are concerns in workplaces across the country. And it really just made sense for us as a health care organization to make a commitment to the good health of our employees.”

Baptist is not alone in tailoring its own employee wellness and weight loss program.

In 2000, the state’s Department of Transportation formed a Wellness and Personal Growth Committee to promote wellness and healthy living among its workers. It holds monthly seminars and health fairs so employees can learn the benefits of proper diet and exercise, and recently began “MDOT in Motion,” a 12-week program that works with teams.

Three to five co-workers form a team, and must attend seven of 10 weekly training sessions offered by the MSU Extension Service. Since the program began on May 19, 282 employees have signed up.

“There’s just something about a competitive environment that challenges us to give it our all and do our best”, said Wes Stafford, MDOT's Wellness and Personal Growth Committee chairman. “I’m excited about the results that I know we’re going to see.”

Mississippi College chose to stick with a well-known plan with a track record of success. It launched its Weight Watchers program for employees in October 2006, and in the time since, two dozen participants have lost more than 800 pounds.

"I knew it was time to lose weight when I was no longer sure that my knees would support me when I was going downstairs," said Marilyn Sauls, the MC human resources director. She was one of the original Weight Watchers members at MC.

They look and move better, but the health benefits make it worth the effort. Street saw her blood pressure and cholesterol drop along with her weight.

During their first 12-week stretch, the group at MC combined to lose nearly 400 pounds. Some reached their goals and became Lifetime Members. A tiny few fell off the wagon.

And it helped that MC’s Clinton campus is also home to Baptist Healthplex, where faculty, staff, students and the general public can work out.

Baptist’s Rhoden said such programs are a “win-win” for employers and the community as a whole.

“It improves productivity for the organizations and increases the quality of life of the employees,” he said. “It improves retention. Employees are happier. They feel there is an investment in their health from the organization. It’s a benefit that not every organization has, but they should.

“In the years to come, you’re going to see a trend with more impetus on workplace wellness, and good health will continue to increase. It will ultimately separate a viable company from a non-viable company.”