Healthiest Employers of Rhode Island 2019
150-499 EMPLOYEES #1: Children’s Friend
CEO (or equivalent): David Caprio, CEO and president
Number of employees: 380
For the past 185 years, the team at Providence-based Children’s Friend has worked feverishly to improve the lives of at-risk children and families throughout Rhode Island.
With a pedigree like that, it should come as no surprise that the nonprofit works just as hard when it comes to the health and well-being of its 380 employees.
“Children’s Friend has a leadership team that demonstrates their support of employees’ well-being by offering excellent benefits and a workplace culture that supports a healthy work environment and meaningful work,” said Julie Colangeli, benefits and wellness specialist. “We are able to foster a sense of community, social connections and support for each other through wellness programs.”
Programming such as healthy-snack deliveries, support groups and activity challenges empower team members to come together to support each other in bettering themselves and reaching goals.
Children’s Friend’s Health and Wellness Committee seeks to motivate employees to adopt healthy lifestyles by offering innovative and relevant on-site educational opportunities, physical-activity challenges, monetary incentives, evidence-based, healthy lifestyle classes and fitness classes. The organization routinely has more than 20 wellness or health programs active for employees to choose from.
The committee gains further buy-in by considering and incorporating employees’ interests and population health data when creating and introducing new health and wellness programming. The result? Programs that are not only relevant but fun and sought after by team members.
“Our goal is to offer a variety of programs that touch upon most dimensions of wellness to attract employees who are ready to learn something new, gain a short-term benefit or make a behavior change,” Colangeli said. “We do a healthy-snack delivery to all employees once a month where we have 100% participation, and 50% of staff recently participated in our ‘Step into Spring’ walk challenge.”
According to Colangeli, Children’s Friend is working to create a culture shift to one of wellness. Measurables to that end include a reduction in insurance claims, increased participation in the health insurance deductible incentive program, welcoming any and all feedback from employees, and leadership recognition and community awards for in-house programs.
Kristen Caine has been with Children’s Friend for the past five years, serving as child-development manager. In her role, she works with partner leadership, conducts classroom observations, ensures adherence to Head Start policies and works to increase quality in partner classrooms, curriculum, child assessment and family engagement.
Caine, also a member of the Health and Wellness Committee, said Children’s Friend has demonstrated its commitment to the staff’s physical, emotional, social and financial well-being. She has participated in several physical wellness initiatives, including the annual wellness fair, wellness Wednesday snacks, physical-activity challenges, tools for managing health and well-being, healthy lifestyle, the healthy lunch challenge and the mindful-meditation series.
“If data shows staff are challenged with being a healthy weight, then we offer more physical-activity challenges and healthy-lifestyle classes to educate staff and motivate behavior changes,” Caine said. “Also, by recognizing and rewarding staff for completion of wellness programs and challenges, we are able to impact future participation in these activities.
“If an employee is healthy, then attendance increases. If an employee has a positive social and emotional state of mind, then they are more productive, have a positive impact on other employees, students and clients, and on the overall work environment,” she said.
Colangeli feels employers are in the unique position not only to promote a safe work environment but support individual health and a healthy work environment as well.
“This is not only good for the employee and the organization but there is a ripple effect that reaches out to … society,” Colangeli said. “When an employee is healthy and feeling well, both emotionally and physically, they’ll feel happier and more engaged in the workplace. By encouraging healthy habits, such as taking lunch breaks, having walking meetings, healthy snacking and taking mindfulness breaks, we can help boost productivity and performance.”
