Wellness plans improveculture, create savings

Year two of Providence Business News’ Healthiest Employers program is in the books, and there are a few things that are clear.
First, wellness programs work, from any number of perspectives. Employees are healthier (and happier) thanks to their participation. Companies see health care expenses decline, especially if they are self-insured. Programs that emphasize team approaches create a more tight-knit, collegial work atmosphere.
At the same time, the data that the programs collect do not expose individuals to violations of their privacy. They truly are supportive of each person’s needs within the context of their health.
And lastly, companies that do not have wellness programs already need to add one. Going forward, they will be a key component to creating a sustainable business culture, no matter how small the enterprise, delivering improved productivity and better execution on company goals.
As we did last year with the inaugural program, PBN used an outside group, Healthiest Employers, a privately held technology-and-data-research company with a focus on wellness, to judge this year’s entries.
All companies that entered the 2013 edition of the program completed extensive surveys, which were then benchmarked against similar programs across the country, and finally, graded and ranked. The top 26 companies across the five company size categories are featured in this special section.
Supporting PBN in its efforts through the Healthiest Employers program to improve the wellness of the Ocean State’s workforce is presenting sponsor Tufts Health Plan, as well as partner sponsors CVS Caremark Corp., Preventure and USI Insurance Services. Media sponsor is AM790.

Mark S. Murphy
Editor

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