Wellness at Work

Last Saturday, three coworkers and I trudged up and eventually back down the 13.2 mile Race to Robie Creek. It was the second year we mustered up the strength (and just enough stupidity) to run (and walk) the race coined as ‘the toughest race in the Northwest.’ 

Individually, some had run the race in previous years, others had never run longer than a 5k. But we came together through our employer to do something fun and active—partially in thanks to the culture fostered at Oliver Russell by the health and wellness benefit.

Oliver Russell started offering the benefit about this time last year. The company contributes $50/month on top of health insurance to each employee for something that will make us ‘healthier’ and…well… ‘well-er.’ It’s meant for things like gym memberships, race entries, active gear, or on the stress-reducing side: massages. 

I really like the health and wellness benefit.

It shows that the company puts its money where its mouth is. Oliver Russell wants each employee to be healthy and actually puts money into helping make that happen. And it works. It’s much easier to spend $40/month on a gym membership when there’s money already ear-marked for that expense.

The benefit creates an environment where it’s okay to include exercise on your priority list. It’s acceptable, and even encouraged, to take walks throughout the day or spend some time cooling off after a run or bike into work before changing back into more work-appropriate attire.

That’s a good thing.

Our health and wellness benefit doesn’t directly force employees to exercise—I’m sure that’s an HR no-no. But it does make room for workers to do so, which in turn creates a workplace culture that promotes an active lifestyle.

A recent study showed that 30 minutes of activity during lunch three times per week increases enthusiasm and makes workers feel less tense in the afternoons. I definitely find this true in my own life. It’s incredibly relaxing to run in the Boise foothills for an hour in the middle of the work day. Among the obvious health benefits of exercise, it lowers stress, improves sleep, and provides needed head-clearing time—which increases productivity and decreases sick days.

On top of the physical benefits, the mental perks of an active lifestyle are beneficial. It helps to maintain a relaxed environment even during the most stressful times. This is huge for the culture. Coming to work is so much more pleasant in this type of environment—even on days when we’re staying late to meet a due date.

The benefit is also great for team building—like our Robie adventures. A group of us often go running or hiking after work or at lunch. And no one really has the excuse that they don’t have running shoes…they can use their wellness benefit dollars to purchase some.

The Health and Wellness Benefit After Hours:

Oliver Russell happens to be just a few miles from the Race to Robie Creek, the painful, uphill half-marathon I wrote about earlier. And what better way to get to know your coworkers than training for and running Boise’s famous race? Four of us plus three spouses took on the race last year. We used our wellness benefits for the entry fees and new shoes. We ran hills after work and kept each other accountable to training, and everyone finished. We had so much fun that the same group signed up again for 2015! (And enough time passed that we forgot about the suffering part.)

We’re still recovering from this weekend’s successful race, but hopefully the Oliver Russell team will be just crazy enough to sign up again in 2016.

If your company could use an afternoon enthusiasm boost, consider implementing some kind of health and wellness benefit. It could be as simple as discounted gym memberships or perks for employees who choose to use their lunch hour to go on a walk.