Drop by the Santa Clara Valley Water District headquarters, and you may see employees sweating away the calories after work in a Zumba class or breathing through a low cobra pose in yoga class. During the lunch hour, you might encounter a dim conference room full of mindful staff deep in meditation. In the corner of the cafeteria, employees are encouraged to track their blood pressure and body mass index. On any given day, there may be a session on healthy eating, relaxation techniques, or parenting teens.
All of these programs are part of the water district’s award winning wellness program. Launched in 2014, a main goal of the program was to contain ever-increasing healthcare costs. As the program has evolved, it has not only helped reduce healthcare costs, but strengthened relationships and generated fun and enthusiasm.
Board Chair Richard P. Santos, a strong advocate for active living himself, said, “A healthy workplace is a productive workplace. Over the last two years, we’ve seen measurable improvements in the health of our employees. This has led to a 3.2% reduction in our health insurance costs. Our efforts are paying off in a multitude of ways.”
The program has helped our employees become more productive and focused, but also happier and less stressed. By making employees’ health and wellness a priority, it enables the district to better serve and support our community.
On Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018 the district was recognized as the “Healthiest Employer in the San Francisco Bay Area” by Healthiest Employers, LLC and Sequoia Consulting Group for the district’s commitment to employee health and wellbeing. The competitive award placed the district first among companies with 500 to 1,999 employees.
Selection and placement was based on a variety of criteria, including culture and leadership commitment, foundational components, strategic planning, communication and marketing, programming and interventions, and reporting and analysis. In addition, the district was identified as one of the 100 Healthiest Workplaces in America®! We ranked #55, nationwide.
These awards are in recognition of all the tremendous work done by district employees to improve their health through exercise, nutrition, meditation and all around healthy living. All of this healthy living has led to an actual reduction of more than $600,000 in our annual health insurance premiums in 2018.
“This year’s winners comprise our strongest class of healthy workplaces since we launched the program nine years ago,” said Rod Reasen, co-founder of the Healthiest Employers® Award Program and Springbuk. “This year’s Healthiest 100 Workplaces include organizations as small as 19 full-time employees and as large as over 150,000 employees. They span nearly every industry, size, geography and include both private and public organizations.”
Springbuk is a health intelligence software that empowers everyone in an employer’s health ecosystem to glean actionable insights to improve their population’s wellbeing and contain claims costs. Each year, Springbuk administers the Healthiest Employers® Award Program across the U.S. to honor the nation’s most dedicated employers in bettering their worksite health and wellness programs. Learn more at www.Springbuk.com.
Valley Water News 