Keeping healthy can be part of job
By Alexandra R. Moses
Associated Press
Margaret Brady and her co-workers at Morrissey & Co. practically have to chase after their boss when they join him for walks along Boston's Charles River.
Associated Press
The two- to three-mile jaunts are CEO Peter Morrissey's version of an employee wellness program for his 11-worker public relations firm.
Diemakers at a General Motors tool and die plant in Flint, Mich., have begun doing yoga right in the factory itself. GM offers yoga and Tai Chi classes as part of a wellness program designed to improve employee health and reduce medical claims. As healthcare costs continue to rise, other companies are developing similar programs.
"The 45 minutes to the hour that I'm out, I just feel that ... the cobwebs that you get after the coffee buzz wears off are gone," Brady said.
As health care costs increase, more companies are using workplace wellness programs to improve employees' health and reduce medical claims.
These programs generally provide health information, and many offer free or low-cost services such as medical checkups and weight management and smoking cessation classes. Some include fitness centers or subsidized memberships to local gyms.
"The vast majority of Americans spend the vast majority of time at work. And it's sedentary," said David Hunnicutt, president of the Wellness Councils of America. Companies say wellness programs can help reduce blood pressure, smoking and cholesterol levels.
Autoworkers at General Motors Corp. can attend yoga and Tai Chi classes offered just floors above the assembly lines in Flint, Mich. Chrysler Group offers incentives for its employees to use its programs, giving out "well bucks" that can be redeemed for gym bags and other gear. Employees earn the well bucks if they get a health screening, check out a book or video from the company's healthy life library or get a workplace massage.
Morrissey pays for half the cost of his employees' walking shoes. He also offers an office bicycle for those who don't want to walk.
"At first, honestly, I thought, 'I have to get out there, I have to hurry, I have to get back," " Brady said of the walks. But without them, she said her chances to exercise are "slim to none."
