From top to bottom, banking on better health

A Healthy Thought:
“We have made a huge impact in the daily wellness of our employees.”
Anne Bernier
VP of human resources
A Healthy Thought: “We have made a huge impact in the daily wellness of our employees.” Anne Bernier VP of human resources

Pawtucket Credit Union’s wellness programs are headed up by its wellness committee, comprised of employee and executive volunteers. In this way, the effort to promote involvement and planning works from the top down and back up to the top again.
If the company had a hub of its wellness efforts, it just might be the on-site fitness center at the main office, where classes in Zumba, fitness boot camp and cardio conditioning are offered, as well as lockers and showers. But the credit union also provides opportunities for employees to lunch (healthfully) and learn about overall habits that build a healthy lifestyle.
Lunch & Learn speaker series events – including a free, healthy lunch – are well-attended, said Anne Bernier, vice president of human resources. At the meeting employees hear presentations from health experts. But beyond that, the credit union also has healthy eating options in its vending machine and a wellness library available to employees.
“I believe that by following this simple … strategy, we have made a huge impact in the daily wellness of our employees,” said Bernier. And the numbers don’t lie: Pawtucket Credit Union reports just a 2 percent increase in health insurance premiums in 2013 and no increase at all in 2014; following double-digit increases in past years.
Beyond money saved, employees and members of the executive team arrive to work more focused, Bernier said. “They are more productive and experience less absenteeism, as well as being more present in our work environment,” she said.

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