At ScanSource Inc., an international value-added distributor of specialty technology products, we have been steadily working to contain health care costs – much like most other companies, large and small.
All signs were pointing us to prevention and the implementation of a corporate wellness program to help build and maintain a healthy workforce. ScanSource has long offered a gym facility at our Greenville headquarters, healthy options in the on-site café, annual health fairs, group exercise classes and much more. In 2011, I joined ScanSource as wellness program manager and helped put a comprehensive wellness initiative into place, which has since been implemented on a global level.
The mission of our wellness program is to improve the health and well-being of employees at ScanSource through health education, awareness and the creation of programs that will support positive lifestyle change, thereby resulting in improved employee health, productivity and retention, as well as savings in health care costs.
ScanSource is fortunate to have many employees participating in different phases of the wellness program. We want to make employees aware of the importance of overall health and wellness and promote more than just physical activity efforts. Making the healthy choice the easy choice has been a very powerful guiding principle.
Engaging employees is important when implementing a wellness program. A lot of thought went into developing tools and programs to support our wellness initiative. Some widely used programs that have been of great interest to our employees include group exercise classes, such as boot camp, weight circuits and yoga; weight management and smoking cessation programs; and different training programs from a couch-to-5k program to full marathon training programs.
ScanSource also has an employee-supported benefit of one-on-one on-site personal training with two certified personal trainers, one-on-one body fat assessments, personal goal planning/setting, a virtual walking program, and various lifestyle challenges throughout the year. Competitive programs are an employee favorite and create a lot of excitement internally.
Lowering health care costs and keeping a healthy workforce are key reasons for these programs. Healthy employees make for a healthy business, as they tend to be more productive and more engaged with customers, have less absenteeism, a more positive attitude, and an overall improved morale.
Participation from employees across the company has been very positive, resulting in improved overall health, including many instances of lower blood pressure, employees coming off maintenance medications, a much more positive quality of life, more energy and higher morale in the workplace.
ScanSource also opened a clinic, with a nurse practitioner, on our Greenville campus in an effort to decrease health care costs for employees, spouses and the company as a whole, while providing convenient access to the highest quality health care. This not only saves us bottom-line dollars, it also enables our employees to be more productive while at work and contributes to a decrease in overall absenteeism thanks to a healthier workforce.
The clinic has provided a tremendous benefit to employees and family members. Before, many employees would try to work through an illness; now, it takes no time for an employee to set up a same-day appointment, visit with the nurse, and return to his desk with proper diagnosis and medication. It is a win-win situation for both company and employees.
We also see our wellness program serving as a positive retention tool. Having on-site resources stands out to potential employees as a great benefit and one more way to better their health. It saves ScanSource money at the end of the day, but it also saves employees money by providing different resources to be healthy.
As an example, with our on-site gym facility and trainers (as an employee-paid benefit), employees can engage in physical activity on-site and don’t have to join a gym. We have received very positive feedback, as employees appreciate having the opportunity to exercise during the day. It also enables employees to find that work/life balance that we all need.
No doubt, the wellness initiative has become a prime focus for ScanSource. The importance of implementing a solid and well-balanced program with easily accessible resources for employees has been a driving factor in the success of this program. We will continue to expand on our mission and always strive to better this program as a whole, ultimately enhancing the health of our employees and our business altogether.
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Jessica Howard joined ScanSource in 2011 as wellness program manager. Previously, she worked as a health educator and wellness coach. She received her undergraduate degree from Clemson University and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of South Carolina.
