Physically, emotionally, mentally and financially healthy employees perform better, say Dubuque-area employers, which leads to satisfied clients and customers, and that is good for business.
“Our mission is to help our members build a life worth living,” said Sarah Pink, a senior human resources specialist at Dupaco Community Credit Union. “Ultimately, helping our employees by supporting their general well-being is at the center of making that happen. When we create a positive employee experience, our members feel it. It has become a core part of who we are as an organization.”
Dupaco and other area employers help their employees in myriad ways, including wellness programs, employee assistance programs and providing workout facilities or reimbursing for gym memberships and other related expenses. Promoting healthy eating can also make a difference.
“I’m really passionate about health and fitness overall, and I really wanted to bring that into the workplace,” said Amanda Kennedy, project support team leader at Origin Design, where she has worked for 15 years. “We love food here and we had a lot of food days. I was like, ‘You know, this really isn’t healthy,’ so I drafted a proposed health and wellness policy.”
The company president approved Kennedy’s idea nearly five years ago.
“I have a budget each year to work with. I also bring in health food every other month and I put it down in our community room and I send an email out,” she said. “We’ve seen (the unhealthy eating) decrease some as we’ve been promoting our health and wellness program.”
About a third of the company’s 70 employees seek reimbursement for their gym memberships or other related qualifying expenses, Kennedy said. She said the company reimburses up to $240 annually per employee.
“It’s a good number. It’s increased,” she said of employee participation. “We’re making a more focused effort next year to see if we can see some growth.”
Lauren Minert, human resources manager at Kunkel & Associates Inc. said up to 75% of the company’s 100 employees in Dubuque; Kansas City, Mo.; and Madison, Wis., participate in Kunkel’s internally administered health and wellness program.
“We’re finding, especially post-COVID, mental-health resources for employees. It’s crucial,” she said.
The type of programs offered varies.
“We’ve done standard lunch and learns where someone will come in and talk about a topic. But we’ve also done yoga outside. We try to make it different and tailored to the team,” Minert said. “At Kunkel, we also love to see employees get out in the community and volunteer — that definitely helps with that wellness and mental health.”
When it comes to physical health, the company offers its employees annual biometric screenings.
“Employees keep track of their screening so they can look back and see where they were at last year and compare it to this year,” she said. “They can even do one-on-one meetings with a doctor or a nurse at one of the local hospitals to dive in more.”
Improving physical health and enhancing well-being can build camaraderie in the workplace, Minert said.
“We’re huge into that at Kunkel. That culture piece is absolutely No. 1 to us,” she said.
A culture of camaraderie and discussing conflicts before they become big problems is also important at Origin.
“What we’re trying to promote is don’t let (an issue) get to a critical point,” Kennedy said. “Yeah, you don’t have to seek counseling when things have gotten bad, but go ahead and use this resource. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You just need to talk to somebody — maybe other than your family.”
Added Pink at Dupaco: “One of our biggest things, and I think this is probably maybe our biggest differentiator as an organization, is we specifically train our supervisors on inclusive leadership. It aligns with our values of strengthening relationships, being rooted in trust, empathetic understanding and advocacy. These are huge parts of (helping) your employees so that they feel comfortable coming and talking to you when they’re not feeling like their best self.”