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Wellness Within McGohan Brabender
Wellness is more important than ever in the culture of organizations across the country—and the reasons are self-evident. Healthy employees are able to enjoy a higher quality of life and pay lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs. On the other hand, from an employer perspective, healthy employees take fewer sick days and make fewer hospital visits. That translates into fewer medical claims, lower medical costs and less employee time “off the clock.” The bottom line? A “wellness culture” creates a win-win situation for all.
So how does one get started creating a wellness culture for their organization? In 2003, the leadership at McGohan Brabender stepped back and empowered their employees to create a wellness program that MB could afford and would eventually be financially self-sufficient. Taking to heart the input of their co-workers and clients, the newly-formed internal wellness committee narrowed its focus down to accomplishing one goal. It aimed to develop a program that offers fun, fitness and improved well-being to MB employees and their families.
Today the evidence of that accomplishment shines through in everything we do. Over the years, CLIMB (the official name of MB’s wellness committee, which stands for Changing Lifestyles Inside McGohan Brabender), has successfully partnered with Kettering Medical Center to offer health screenings, provided healthy lunches through the CLIMB Café, made nutritious snacks available in the kitchen as an alternative to the vending machines, and donated equipment to MB to start its very own fitness room. And those are just a few of the contributions the committee has made.
Other ways CLIMB has promoted wellness within MB:
• Offering a personal trainer to employees
• Making yoga and pilates classes available on-site
• Making monthly chair massages available for stress relief
• Bringing in guest speakers on self-defense and other safety/wellness-related topics
• Distributing payroll stuffers, newsletters and other communication on good health
eMBrace Wellness - For Our Clients
In 2007, McGohan Brabender took the lessons it learned from its CLIMB efforts and created a multi-tiered approach we call eMBrace Wellness. Through this initiative, MB offers two different levels of programs for your organization depending on your organization’s wellness goals and objectives. McGohan Brabender can sit down with key personnel and, depending on your needs and level of employee involvement, aide you in putting together a customized program.
When the concept of wellness encompasses your organization, penetrating everything your employees do, they will find that they are a part of something greater than themselves… something life-changing. “Wellness” is not a class you sign up for, but rather the ongoing influence on your employees and culture toward good health. It becomes a state of mind.
Wellness Links that you may find helpful:
http://healthyohioprogram.org/ - ideas on worksite wellness programs for Ohio businesses
www.in.gov/inshape/ - ideas on personal wellness initiatives for residents of Indiana
www.gethealthy.ky.gov - ideas on personal wellness for Kentucky citizens
http://www.michigan.gov/surgeongeneral - ideas on worksite, personal, school and community wellness for
Michigan citizens
www.welcoa.org - Wellness Council of America, a non-profit organization that provides information and assistance on developing, planning and running a wellness program
www.healthfinder.gov/library/nho/nho.asp - National Health Observances Calendar
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