“Physical activity and employee wellness are important priorities at McCarthy, and we are honored and excited to be recognized again by the American Heart Association as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite,” said Derek Glanvill, McCarthy president and chief operating officer. “As an employee-owned company, we"re committed to providing the best workplace possible. This will benefit our employees" health, the health of family members and ultimately produce even more positive results for our company overall.”
The Fit-Friendly Worksites program is a catalyst for positive change in the American workforce, helping make employee health and wellness a priority. Platinum-level employers:
- Offer employees physical activity options in the workplace
- Increase healthy eating options at the worksite
- Promote a wellness culture in the workplace
- Implement at least nine criteria outlined by the American Heart Association in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and culture
- Demonstrate measurable outcomes related to workplace wellness
At McCarthy, safety has always been a core tenet of the company's mission. In 2010, McCarthy extended this effort to include the overall health and wellness of employees with the launch of McCarthy Build for Life. This comprehensive wellness program is designed to encourage all McCarthy employees and their families to strive toward optimal mental, physical, emotional and financial well-being. The program focuses on four key areas: awareness, prevention, activity and lifestyle and stress.
In 2012, McCarthy partnered with a wellness vendor, Vitality, to provide an interactive and personalized program taking into account an individual's overall health, lifestyle and risk factors, working with the individual to establish and achieve personal wellness goals, and finally motivating them with cost-savings on insurance premiums and other rewards along the way. Since the launch of this new wellness rewards program, McCarthy has seen overall participation in Build for Life rise to 87.4 percent through March 2013. In April, McCarthy launched its “Gold Rush Challenge,” an annual wellness challenge to encourage employee participation in the Build for Life program. The challenge runs through the end of May, with employees and spouses eligible to participate.
American employers are losing an estimated $225.8 billion a year because of healthcare expenses and health-related losses in productivity, and those numbers are rising. Many American adults spend most of their waking hours at sedentary jobs. Their lack of regular physical activity raises their risk for a host of medical problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Employers face $12.7 billion in annual medical expenses due to obesity alone. The American Heart Association is working to change corporate cultures by motivating employees to start walking, which has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity.
“The Fit-Friendly Worksites program offers a unique, easy-to-implement opportunity for corporations to increase employees" physical activity, which will help improve their health — and their employers" bottom line,” said Tracy Brazelton, AHA executive director in St. Louis. “Even people who haven"t exercised regularly until middle age can reap significant benefits by starting a walking program.”
For more information about the Fit-Friendly Worksites program and how it is helping to improve the health of Americans by focusing on an activity that is convenient, free and easy, visit www.startwalkingnow.org.
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