Workers at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island are getting to know their city the old-fashioned way: by walking through it. Since last fall, they’ve done walking tours of historic College Hill, Federal Hill and several Downcity churches, among other sites.
Each tour has drawn about 50 people, said Leslie Courtney, director of health and wellness. For future walks, the company is inviting some of its clients to join the Blue Cross staff – to strengthen relationships and show the “cultural shift” toward greater health awareness.
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At Textron, the staff wellness committee works with Textron Teammates, a social and morale-building group, to plan activities that are both fun and healthy – from a company-sponsored softball team, to road races and running groups.
And at the Washington Trust Co., many of the social and community service-oriented activities for which employees can sign up involve sports and exercise – or physical work such as cleaning up a neighborhood center’s garden or a beach.
It can be done, employers and experts say: With some thought and creativity, companies can align their meetings, social events and corporate outings with their wellness strategies, and help workers be healthier even as they have fun.
Lisa Edenbaum, health promotion manager for UnitedHealthcare of New England, has been going around to employers talking about how they can help improve their workers’ health, and one of the ideas she offers is to build wellness into the annual corporate picnic.
“We could leverage these events to implement wellness activities for employees and families – offer nutritious foods, and incorporate activities such as massage therapy for stress reduction, blood pressure screenings, volleyball,” she said. “And senior leaders are at a lot of these events, so it’s an opportunity for them to show their support for wellness.”
Blue Cross doesn’t have a corporate outing per se, but it has one annual “employee week,” and a whole day is devoted to health and wellness, with screenings and educational activities, but also “fun things” such as country line-dancing, Courtney said.
“We also have employee Olympics, which has truly reached out to everyone,” she added.
“We have everything from softball and basketball, to pingpong, chess; we’ve done bowling….”
A good way to get everyone involved in physical activity is to provide “some variety,” Courtney said. That’s always a challenge for Blue Cross, she said, “because we have people at different readiness levels, different fitness levels.”
That’s why the walking tours are so appealing, Courtney noted – because pretty much everyone can walk. But Blue Cross also provides opportunities for more athletic workers to do things together, and it sponsors yoga classes, for example, at different skill levels.
For the best success rates, Courtney said, companies should ask workers what they’d like to do. “One of the things we’ve found is to not make assumptions about what the employees want, but ask them directly,” she said. “And getting the employees engaged will increase their likelihood of coming.”
Anne Marie Connolly, director of Get Fit, Rhode Island, the state employees’ wellness initiative, said for off-site company meetings and outings, nearby ski resorts provide nice options. The more athletic types can go skiing, but the rest can take snowshoeing tours through the woods. “It’s very effective as far as getting people into winter sports.”
Closer to home, places like the University of Rhode Island’s Alton Jones Campus offer the same flexibility, Connolly said: space for full-fledged athletics, but also opportunities for leisurely walks and for relaxing “stop, stretch and breathe” exercises.
URI’s physical education department is also a good resource, Connolly said, because experts there can provide ideas for activities that won’t be too strenuous and will have wide appeal. The real goal is not heavy exercise, but a change of pace and stress relief.
“The activities don’t have to be physical – they can be mental as well, like chess games or checkers,” Connolly said. “Anything that can get people’s minds off work and getting together and competing a little, even stupid potato sack races.”
Volunteering for hands-on tasks such as farm work or fixing up a house is also good, Connolly said, because it can engage people at different fitness levels and it builds social consciousness, a whole other dimension of wellness.
At the R.I. Department of Health, the annual “stress-less day” doesn’t involve leaving the building – it gets done right in the basement, in a “very nice room” that is set up with aromatherapy and tea and pleasant lighting, said worksite wellness chair JoAnna Williams. All day long, employees can go down and get free massages from students from the Salter School of Massage in Fall River.
Given how big a deal stress is at most workplaces, Williams said, having something “that would satisfy that kind of need” – whether it’s a massage or something else “would be well-received,” she said. “And those are very easy, low- to no-cost things you can do.”
Another consideration, Williams said, is to make the health and wellness aspect of the outing feel natural, like a treat, rather than something imposed on workers. Activities with music are good, she said, and games – all “fun things that people forget are exercise, because they’re having a good time.” By subtly incorporating healthy choices into an event, she said, you can create a “stress-free day that’s very relaxing and very nourishing for people.”
The choice of foods alone can make a big difference, Williams and others said. It’s helpful to have a policy about the types of foods to be served at company events, she said – to ensure healthy foods prevail, such as salads, sandwich wraps and grilled vegetables. United has such a policy, Edenbaum said, for all company meetings.
One crucial thing to remember, Edenbaum added, is that while company outings are great opportunities to promote and enhance your wellness initiatives, they’re no substitute for a long-term commitment to healthy lifestyles.
“We’re constantly going to our customers and reminding them that wellness is not a one-time event,” Edenbaum said.
