Healthy workplaces hear their workers

The more that wellness is studied, the more it is clear that physical activity is just as important as healthy eating for superior outcomes. So it is no coincidence that in four of the five photos on the cover of this year’s Healthiest Employers special section, employees (and in one case, the boss) are shown being physically active, working up a real sweat in fact.

Another fact that is clear from reading all the profiles of the winning companies is that creating and maintaining a healthy work environment requires a purposeful, sustained effort, and demands that a company listen to its employees when implementing new programs, or changing old ones.

One example of good listening is the growing movement to help workers get a handle on “stressors.” Employees who are stressed out are not just unhappy, they are not nearly as productive, especially when non-health factors drive them to distraction. Sure, many workplaces are by their nature stressful. But there are tools that an employee can employ to reduce stress levels at the office or plant.

Perhaps more important is the ability to manage the challenges of modern life – home-based health and financial concerns chief among them, especially as multiple generations of families live in close proximity to one another. So when you are designing your own health and wellness program, keep your staff in mind. They will tell you what matters most.

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Healthiest Employers surveyed and judged this year’s competition, and its judgment is reflected in the 34 for-profit and nonprofit enterprises you see profiled in this special section.

Just as company wellness programs require buy-in from an enterprise’s employees, so too does the Healthiest Employers program require the region’s business community to support the effort. Thank you once again to presenting sponsor Tufts Health Plan, as well partner sponsors the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, CVS Health Corp. and USI Insurance Services. The media sponsor is AM790.

Mark S. Murphy

Editor

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