Wellness in the Workplace

Area businesses serve up a menu of healthy options for employees

Campus striders

Muhlenberg College’s walking contest inspired Dennis Gambler (third from right) to log more than 1 million steps. Gambler committed to healthier habits after a heart attack two years ago. With him (l-r) are teammates Terry Ebert, Kent Dyer, Bill Dimmich, Glenn Bechtel, Christine Bartholomew, Kenneth Kline, Perry Schwarz and Joe Fries.

On-site fitness equipment…walking contests…free health screenings…how could your workplace best encourage you to be healthy? More and more area businesses are recognizing the importance of healthy, happy employees and developing wellness programs tailored to their workers’ wants and needs.

“The key to a successful wellness program is to make it easy for workers to participate in,” says Carmine Pellosie, D.O., medical director of HealthWorks. (The Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network program offers customized occupational health services.)

Pellosie encourages even small companies to provide wellness choices for their employees. “A great way to start is with a smoking cessation program,” he says. “It’s as simple as raising awareness and passing out fact sheets. Employers also can find free programs at local hospitals or community organizations—there are a lot of resources out there.”

Here’s a sampling of some of the unique wellness programs being offered to employees throughout the Lehigh Valley:

WalkingWorks
Muhlenberg College, Allentown  

To encourage faculty and staff to be more active during the day, Muhlenberg College launched a 12-week contest called WalkingWorks. Co-workers formed 29 teams with an individual goal of walking 10,000 steps (about 5 miles) daily.

“We gave them pedometers to track their steps,” says director of student health services Brynnmarie Dorsey, a nurse practitioner. Every Monday, team leaders added up their team’s steps, and the top walkers earned prizes. “There was a gaudy trophy we passed around for the team with the most steps,” Dorsey says. “It helped keep the competition fun.”

Of the college’s 400 full-time employees, 250 joined WalkingWorks. “As more and more people signed up, others felt left out if they didn’t do the same,” says Anne Speck, vice president of human resources. “It set a good example for students, too. If we raised people’s consciousness about the importance of exercise, we succeeded—and I think we did.”

You Can Annex
Rodale Inc., Emmaus (health and wellness publisher)

Rodale practices what it preaches by giving its employees many wellness benefits. An innovative example: the You Can Annex.

Sixteen years ago, former chairman Bob Rodale visited L.L.Bean and was inspired by the catalog company’s sporting goods rental program for employees. He brought the concept home to his own company. “Bob’s thinking was that people want to be active and try new things, but the expense can sometimes hold them back,” says Budd Coates, director of health and fitness programs at Rodale.

The company stocked up on sports equipment—bicycles, camping gear, skis, in-line skates—and the safety gear to go with it. Employees pay a $5 rental fee per item, with a $20 cap per family no matter how much equipment they rent. “It’s a great way to try something new. If you like it, you can rent again or decide to buy your own,” says Kelly Hartshorne, R.N., health and safety services manager.

Healthy Directions
Just Born, Inc., Bethlehem (family-owned confectionary company)

When are you doing that again?” It’s a phrase Just Born hears over and over after it hosts an osteoporosis or melanoma screening.

“We made a commitment to keep our associates healthy and happy to be at work,” says Ely Rodriguez, human relations coordinator. “It’s a win-win situation for everyone.”

The Healthy Directions program offers a health screening or educational program to employees every month. Past activities have included cholesterol, glucose and vision screenings, stroke assessments, healthy aging fairs and walking/exercise programs.

The program has proven its worth, says Janet Morton, R.N.: “Through our screenings, we’ve detected serious health problems that might not otherwise have been found.” An occupational health nurse with Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, Morton works full-time at Just Born—another way the company demonstrates its commitment to workplace wellness.

Culture of Wellness
Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network

Our fast-food, over-indulgent society isn’t what you would call a ‘culture of wellness,’ ” says occupational medicine physician Carmine Pellosie, D.O. “But at Lehigh Valley Hospital, we’re trying to establish that culture for our employees and community through the exercise, nutrition and health awareness classes we offer.”

Employees and their eligible dependents receive $500 per family to spend on a variety of wellness classes. Anyone who completes a program gets a special gift (for example, a gym bag), and the prize changes quarterly to encourage participants to keep at it.
“Our goal is to give employees as many options as possible in their journey to a healthier life,” says Mary Kay Grim, senior vice president of human resources.

Want to Know More about these and other local employees or the services of HealthWorks? Click below for how employees benefit in many ways from workplace wellness.

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