Activity, smart eating add up to healthy staff

At GTECH Corp., workers who take up fitness activities get plenty of encouragement from their employer.
From subsidizing entrants into the annual CVS Caremark Downtown 5K to supporting participation in the ShapeUp Rhode Island program, the company encourages employees to exercise.
This year, some 80 GTECH teams in the Ocean State participated in the ShapeUp program, with the company supplying prizes. Two iPads were raffled off to participants, and team captains were rewarded with Flip It activity trackers.
Employees can work out in company fitness centers at their facilities in Providence and West Greenwich. “They’re full-service gyms with personal trainers and lunch-time exercise classes five days a week,” said Susan Eikinas, GTECH’s senior employee-benefits manager. “It’s all subsidized by the company, so employees get a very good discount.”
As part of the company wellness program, employees who get annual physicals and complete a health-risk-assessment survey get a discount on their health care premiums, or a company contribution to their health-savings account.
There are programs to promote healthy living all year long. A healthy pregnancy program provides books and information online. There’s an office flu-shot clinic in October. Twice a month on “Wellness Wednesdays” massage professionals visit the workplace to give free chair massages.
The company cafeterias always offer health options … and advice. “There are ‘eat this, not that’ messages to steer people toward the healthier items,” Eikinas said, a choice made easier by posting of the nutritional information for each day’s menu.

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