Yum!: They Do Things Right!

(Corporate Wellness in Louisville through an on-going series of articles)

By Linda Burry, M.Ed.

Yum! Brands, Inc., the world's largest restaurant company with more than 34,000 restaurants in over 100 countries, seems to be doing a lot of things right. Ranked one of the “Best Places to Work” in Kentucky in 2005 and 2006, Yum also has been named the No.1 “Best Place for Work/Life Balance in Louisville” for large businesses. From the moment a visitor steps onto their main campus off Gardiner Lane in Louisville, you sense happy and healthy employees. Whether it is shooting hoops with senior management while brainstorming innovative marketing ideas, or out on the sand volleyball court taking part in a team-building activity, Yum employees are happy employees. They look forward to being on the job. Yum has strived to create a culture that realizes the vitality and potential of its most valuable asset, its people. By assisting its employees and their spouses in achieving a higher quality of life through innovative health behavioral change programs, Yum folks “just can't get enough!”

We all realize the key to long-term health and optimal wellness lies in changing our lifestyle to reflect better choices. Most folks know what they “ought” to do, but when it comes to the actual “doing” part, they fall back into ingrained behaviors that may not be the healthiest of choices. Today's working professional will spend close to 50 percent of their waking hours on the job when you factor in commute time. Multiply this for a period of 40-50 years and witness the effects of long-term occupational stress coupled with sedentary living and you get a snapshot of America today. Chronic lifestyle diseases emerge and ultimately kill us. According to a recent Towers Perrin Health Care Cost survey, it is estimated that employers are facing an 8 percent increase in their 2006 health care costs with gross health care expenditure averaging $8,424 per employee. Since the American population is aging, health care spending is estimated to rise 25 percent by 2030, with preventable, lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and Type 2 diabetes, accounting for 75 percent of health care costs.

As a contributing member of society striving to live the American dream, executives build their lives around their work. When they finally return home from a day at the office, the focus has to be on the family, which squeezes out pretty much every good intention of getting in some personal exercise time, even if one has home gym equipment. We've all seen the proverbial treadmill photos better used as clothes hangers. What is needed is a workable solution, and Yum Brands has found it by thinking outside the box.

Before a visitor ever steps inside Yum's main entrance, more evidence of a healthy culture exists: employees briskly walking or jogging around the serene pond surrounding the beautifully landscaped walking path. Quite a few others bike to work, taking advantage of the fully equipped locker rooms and concierge services that wash their workout apparel. Once inside and touring the 3,000 square foot fitness facility that is open 24/7, you will find lots of employees working out, including senior management What started as primarily a workout center in 1991 with scattered pieces of exercise equipment has evolved into a significant employee benefit with a broad range of programming that is 100% employee-driven.

Fast forward 15 years, and it is evident throughout Yum's hallways that its employees are what matter most. Just down the hall from the fitness center is the aerobics room. You can hear the excited cheering of the “lunch bunch” as they build muscle along with self-esteem in the popular Bars, Balls & Bands class. In the employee cafeteria, the buffet style setting encourages healthy selections. Classes in healthier eating choices have contributed to this, and healthier vending machine item choices as well. Yum has succeeded in creating an environment that is 100 percent dedicated to achieving the highest level of employee wellness and job satisfaction.

Rachel Carlock, B.S., serves as Health and Wellness Manager of Corporate Services programming to 1,800 employees in two area locations. An exemplary model for living the healthy lifestyle herself, Rachel recognizes the positive impact progressive employee-driven wellness programming can have in helping her charges move steadily towards permanent healthy behavioral change. A 2005 graduate of the University of Louisville's Exercise Science program, Rachel worked full time while attending classes. She balances being a wife and a mother of two young adults, one with a serious illness. Presently working towards her M.Ed. in Health Promotion, Rachel knows that for worksite wellness to be effective, Yum must offer quality work/life benefits. Quality programs significantly increase employee commitment and morale, resulting in higher performance levels, while also aiding in the retention of talent. Yum's wellness model is a significant recruitment tool while simultaneously improving upon its own reputation.

Employees at both locations receive intranet reminders to attend free, confidential monthly health screenings, along with other wellness classes and upcoming events and competitions. The health screenings have been significant as early detection tools for cholesterol levels, breast cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer, osteoporosis, thyroid disorders, and hearing loss. Statistics enable Rachel to track programming that has a positive impact. Classes for smoking cessation and healthy eating are free and offered quarterly. Area health promotion companies provide these classes in the Lunch and Learn format. Weight Watchers is another successful, ongoing program for which Yum pays a portion of the costs. With a fitness and aerobics center on site at both locations, there are daily subsidized classes offered before work, during lunch, and after work that embrace the latest trends in group exercise. Among the current offerings: Yoga for beginners and for advanced, Pilates, Total Body Conditioning, Rock Bottom and Top It Off. Yum's fitness clubs offer camaraderie while sharing similar goals. Yum has running, walking, mini-marathon, marathon, softball, basketball and volleyball clubs. The running club successfully completed a 24-hour endurance run and looks forward to entering another one. Personal trainers are also available.

Yum's annual Health and Wellness Fair takes place each October. This one-day awareness building event features over 35 vendors and is coordinated with the benefits department, coinciding with open enrollment. All health screenings are available, in addition to flu shots. For some employees, attending the annual fair is their first effort to become more proactive about their health and wellness. Rachel knows how to engage them from here, by asking them what they want, and delivering it. An example is an on-site childcare, driven entirely through the power of employee suggestion.

Corporate cultures in which employees are recognized and rewarded for performance naturally trend toward a healthy and productive climate. Fitness and Wellness programming brings together people who wouldn't normally mix. Activities that cut across the usual hierarchy and departmental divisions are healthy for everyone. The implications of somebody's well-being are much, much broader than simply being a cost item. You just can't get enough of that!

Linda Burry, M.Ed. has 17 years of experience in health and wellness. A Research Associate in the Dept. of Health and Sport Sciences at the University of Louisville, Linda teaches Sports Psychology to more than 140 students, primarily student-athletes, each semester. Prior to teaching, she owned and operated Tuff-E-Nuff Aerobics and Fitness Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. As co-owner of Greenleaf Management, Inc., www.greenleafmanagement.com., an environmental health and safety company, Linda heads up the wellness division. She serves as a personal trainer at Baptist East Milestone, and an American Red Cross volunteer instructor for S.E. Christian Church. For fun and fitness, Linda and her husband David train with the Louisville Bicycle Club Racing Team.