DYERSBURG, TENNESSEE, August 13, 2021 – White & Associates Insurance today announced it has awarded $100,000 in employee wellness rewards. Established in 2015, the White & Associates [W&A] wellness program has grown into a large part of company culture and boasts a 94% staff participation rate.
The program started small, with points logged for exercise, water intake and obtaining an annual wellness exam. Within the first year, W&A saw the need to automate the way employees were logging points and built a website internally to keep track. Each year, new options are added including challenges like no sweets for a month, screen-free nights and carbonation elimination for 30 days. Employee points equate to cash and paid time off each month. In 2020, the average cash earned per employee equaled $356 and 52 days off were rewarded.
“Making the decision to dedicate reward dollars to our employee health program was an easy one,” said White & Associates chief executive officer Larry White. “I believe that taking strides towards healthier living is an essential part of operating a successful business today. Our people are our greatest asset, and we owe it to them and their families to do everything possible to encourage health and wellness.”
“Surpassing the $100,000 milestone is something I could not picture seven years ago,” said Amy Ladd, White & Associates group benefits sales manager. When our committee first began planning our wellness program, we were hopeful to make a positive impact and create a long-term health insurance cost savings program. It is wonderful to see the program come to fruition, and our group health insurance costs benefiting as well,” said Ladd.
Successes include an employee losing over 100 pounds, an employee quitting all tobacco products after 35 years of use and several team members weening themselves off pre-diabetic, cholesterol and blood pressure medications. The program celebrated its five-year anniversary in 2020 with a week of mental health encouragement and will continue to incorporate education, challenges and incentives for employees.
WELLNESS PROGRAM STATISTICS
Statistics show that healthy behaviors lead to lower health risks and lower health risks lead to less chronic diseases. Less chronic diseases allow employees and employers to experience lower health care costs. Among 22 different studies that reviewed wellness programs, Harvard Health Affairs reports the average return on investment for an effective program to be 3.27%.
POINT OPPORTUNITIES
Our program includes incentives for:
- Annual wellness exams
- Participating in wellness activities including two-mile walks, 5ks and ½ marathons
- Recording body mass index metrics
- Consistent exercise
- Monthly challenges
FAVORITE CHALLENGES
- No Fried Food Month
Earn 1,000 points if you eliminate fried food from your diet Monday – Friday. - Screen-Free Nights
Earn 2,000 points for refraining from “screen time” from the time you leave work until you return the next morning 2 days a week. Screen time includes television, computer, tablet and cell phone use with the exception of speaking on the phone and responding to a text. - Water Month
Earn 500 points for drinking 64 ounces of water every day of the month. - Sweet Free Month
Earn 1,000 points for eliminating sweets from your diet Monday – Friday. - Thankful Month
Send 5 thank you cards to people you know.
SUCCESS STORIES
- An employee losing over 100 pounds at age 59.
- An employee quitting ALL tobacco products after 35+ years.
- Several employees off medications including pre-diabetic, high cholesterol and high blood pressure medications.
- An employee suffering from daily headaches, neck stiffness and backaches now pain-free after the removal of soda from their diet.
- Staff participation in more than 40 community 5k events.
For more information about the White & Associates Wellness program, contact Amy Ladd at amy.ladd@whiteins.net or 731-288-3532.