Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles Awards Given to 41 Companies
The non-profit National Business Group on Health (www.businessgrouphealth.org) gave Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles awards yesterday to 41 U.S. employers, saying their continuing efforts to promote healthy work environments and encourage workers to live healthier lifestyles are a model for others. This was the third annual awards presentation and took place at a summit sponsored by the group's Institute on the Costs and Health Effects of Obesity.
“Wellness and lifestyle improvement programs are rapidly becoming a top priority at many large employers, and with good reason,” said Helen Darling, its president. “Employers are recognizing that there is a direct link between healthy and engaged workers, high productivity, and controlling rising health costs. That we are honoring over 50 percent more employers than when we launched this program is a clear indication that a growing number of employers are serious about helping workers and their families improve their health.” This year’s winning companies offer a variety of wellness and lifestyle improvement programs, including on-site fitness and health clinics, weight management, smoking cessation, health coaches, Web-based health and fitness tools, financial incentives for participating in fitness programs, and health risk assessments.
The list includes many household names, among them Dell, IBM, Motorola, Texas Instruments, and Union Pacific Railroad in the Platinum category; AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Campbell Soup Company, CIGNA, Cisco, General Mills, Medtronic Inc., and Roche in the Gold category; and EMC Corp., JC Penney, Target Corp., Pfizer, Verizon Wireless, and Wal-Mart in the Silver category.