By Kirby Adams
May I see a count of hands — how many of you find that on the job your brain works hard but your body's essentially idle?
Health experts say finding ways to fit in fitness during the workday is an increasingly important strategy in the battle of the bulge.
If you are one of the lucky few in Kentucky or Indiana who work for a company that understands that, keep your eye on this column. And better yet, send me a note letting me know what your company does to help. I may be able to profile your business.
On the flip side, if you're like the majority out there and provided little to no incentive to improve your health or fitness by the big guy or gal up on top, keep your eye and your scissors near this column as well. You'll find ideas to clip in the coming months, plus great ideas to present to you know whom.
It's possible to change your workplace. Show this part to your boss because it affects the bottom line. “It's proven to improve insurance premiums, productivity and absenteeism,” says Don Thompson, owner and operator of Thompson and Associates. The firm is Kentucky's largest benefits agency. They design and administer employee benefits programs for more than 1,500 clients. During a recent interview Thompson told me “we directly see what bad health choices do to a group or a company, so as a business we need to be a leader.”
I wanted to know what got Thompson and Associates a stellar rating as one of the Top 52 workplaces in Kentucky. I was having a tough time connecting with Thompson; not entirely his fault. That week, I covered a lot of breaking news, including a large fire in the Highlands, a huge eviction on Cherokee Road, a story on the new Bicycle Lanes in Louisville, and a few other bits for television news that kept me out of communication.
So as my Kentuckiana Health and Fitness deadline loomed near, I began calling Thompson and Associates with increased intensity. I finally decided to interview the receptionist figuring that she certainly had first-hand experience with what the company was offering, and sure enough she did. “Oh we now have healthy snacks and get information about a healthy diet. We take yearly health evaluations. It's just a relaxed and healthy environment to work in,” she said.
Later Thompson confirmed what his employee had told me, adding that employees are encouraged to live a healthy lifestyle and are given the information and encouragement to do so. They have Weight Watcher lunch programs, Leukemia Society team in training events and some are working toward the Triple Crown and mini marathon this year. The refrigerator was once filled with junk food and now is stocked with healthy nutritious meals. All from the employees personal diet and choices.
But here is what is truly unique. Because we have all heard what a dastardly thing stress and anxiety are for a body, and how important the role of the family is in today's society, Thompson and Associates has taken on the innovative workplace practice of a ‘family first' attitude, with an emphasis on a balance between work and family for all associates. In 2004, Thompson and Associates launched something called the Summer Hours Program. Employees can compress their workweek, earning a half-day off every other week during the summer months. The firm has created a flexible work solution that allows for balance between the demands of work and family that are often more present in the summer months when children are out of school. The program is the result of one of the firm's ongoing employee focus group summits.
Given that Thompson and Associates has been changing for the past 20 years to meet the evolving needs of its clients, it only makes sense that they are on the cutting edge of balancing work and family and quality of life for their employees.
