PROVIDENCE – Individual and group achievement in corporate wellness were celebrated at Providence Business News’ sixth Healthiest Employers luncheon event Wednesday at the Providence Marriott Downtown. Thirty local employers and 22 individuals had their accomplishments called out in front of 240 business leaders and peers.
Before receiving recognition, the attendees were educated by Preventure Chief Client Officer Laura Walmsley, who explored how an offhand remark led her to research how the workplace needs and desires of millennials could – and should – lead companies to restructure their human resources policies for all employees. Turns out that the youngest, and now largest, generation in the workplace has expectations for the workplace that are little different than their elders. Walmsley’s advice to companies: Connect better to employees’ emotional and spiritual needs, and learn how to navigate the complexities of today’s connected world.
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One consistent theme of the winning companies was the effectiveness of organized group activities. Support from peers can make all the difference between a one-off workout and true life-changing routines.
This collective approach to wellness was reflected in this year’s Biggest Winners, a recognition of individual wellness efforts highlighted at the lunch. From two local employees who lost close to 100 pounds each to a group of CVS Health co-workers who trained together to be able to run a 5K race, all the winners took advantage of programs at their place of work to make permanent changes in their routines.
The Healthiest Employers program uses surveys conducted by the Healthiest Employers group, an Indianapolis-based health and wellness researcher.
The 30 winning companies were grouped in five categories based on their overall employee base and ranked based on their Healthiest Employers’ scores. The five category leaders are:
- CVS Health Corp., 5,000+ employees
- Gilbane Inc., 2,000-4,999 employees
- South County Health, 500-1,999 employees
- Collette, 150-499 employees
- Preventure, 2-149 employees
Presenting sponsor for the program for the first time was Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. Partner sponsors included the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, CVS Health Corp., Preventure and Tufts Health Plan.
