The Center’s Workplace Wellness Program: Wellness-a-thon

By Kim Nordin, Program Coordinator

The National Rural Health Resource Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to sustaining and improving health care in rural communities. That, in a nutshell, is what we work for every day at The Center. It’s a no-brainer that we would also work to sustain and improve the health of ourselves. Workplace wellness programs are linked to greater productivity, less sick leave, and a reduction of long-term health care costs. And… they’re FUN! And fun has been linked to employee retention, overall happiness and morale. The Center started a workplace wellness program about three years ago, but with only about 20 percent of our staff still participating, we were in need of a revamp. 

This spring, we rolled out our new workplace wellness program. We call it, “Wellness-a-thon.” The goal was to come up with something that everyone could participate in and something that would encourage us all to work toward wellness. We “walk” across the nation, by individually earning “miles” for various activities from four different categories each week. Our categories are:

1. Fitness/Exercise
2. Mental Health/Mind-Body
3. Safety/Preventative Health
4. Nutrition

Location goals for our 2014/2015 Wellness-a-thon

Each month, we focus on a different category, and offer bonus “miles” for each person who completes the weekly challenge. These challenges are to get people to try something new, to get co-workers to engage in something together, and to consciously work on things to make us healthier. Examples of weekly challenges are, “No high fructose corn syrup this week,” or “Always use the stairs this week” (our offices are on the 4^th floor), or “Workplace humor week - send a co-worker something funny” or “Get your flu shot.” We’re also bringing in quarterly speakers to present wellness topics at our staff meetings. 

Shannon from Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth

presented on nutrition and produce tips at a staff meeting

One way to make our program more fun and interactive was to find reasons to gather as a team. We celebrated National Women’s and Men’s Health Weeks in May and June with a healthy food potluck and daily lunch walks on the lake walk. Just yesterday, 10 of us participated in a 5K walk/run fundraiser for our local YMCA. 

Casual Friday, taking a walk to celebrate National Men’s Health Week. I look shorter than I actually am here. I brought my dog, Truman, to work that day. Fact: Dog friendly workplaces make employees happier and more productive (and I can say, I’ve honestly never worked anyplace where the staff was as productive and happy as they seem at The Center. It must be due to the fact that we allow dogs and our fun wellness program!)

It isn’t “all work, no play” around here. We reward each person with a gift card (to a place where something wellness-related can be purchased) once they reach a milestone (130 miles, up to four milestones per year). We are also rewarding ourselves with a wellness activity we can all do together. This month, we are planning to rent bikes to take a group bike ride on our boardwalk together!

I’m proud of our new wellness program. We currently have over 90% of our staff participating in the Wellness-a-thon, and 15 out of 19 of us have reached our first milestone in three months. Over half of us walked or ran in a 5K together, and we’ve collectively “walked” over 3,000 miles in three months (with each staff person able to earn up to 20 miles per week)! 

One of my favorite things is when I overhear a couple of coworkers planning to take a walk together over lunch, or when someone sends me an idea for a challenge or a staff meeting. It tells me that people are engaged and invested in their health, which is what our wellness program aims to stimulate. It’s the little things that really add up when you’re talking about health and wellness, and I know The Center’s passion, diligence and enthusiasm will keep our workplace wellness program alive! 

Our Sidewalk Shuffle 5K teams, "Rurally Fast" and "Rurally Slow Centerites,"

minus Sally Buck, who was running over after a webinar