The Wellness Council of America, with local affiliate Wellness Council of Wisconsin, recently presented its coveted Gold Well Workplace Award to the Fond du Lac Family YMCA. The Gold Well Workplace Award recognizes an organization for its commitment to the health and well-being of their employees.
The Y, by achieving the Well Workplace Award, has made a long-lasting commitment to the health and well-being of its employees. As stated by WELCOA President Ryan Picarella, “Good companies know that their employees are their most valuable asset. Great companies adopt policies that support employees’ efforts to reduce health risks and are bold about motivating them through bold strategies, programs, and tactics. Great companies know that by improving their employees’ health, they can reduce health care costs.”
The Fond du Lac Family YMCA took many steps to obtain the Gold Well Workplace Award. There is a wellness team in place at the Y that meets monthly to discuss what can be done to continually improve the health and wellbeing of employees. The Y also has multiple programs available to their employees to encourage wellness in many areas such as work/life balance, personal financial management, safety/health protection, mental health/depression, disease management, and many others. The Y has also arranged for a weekly, on-site farmers market to make fresh produce available to employees, members, and the community.
Employees of the Fond du Lac Family YMCA participated in the 2014 Get Up & Go Challenge, an 11 week long physical activity competition that took place among other Fond du Lac County employers. The challenge was aimed at motivating employees to increase their level of physical activity. The Y had 74 employees participate in the challenge, and at the end of the 11 weeks, they were awarded the title of the 2014 Get Up & Go Division Champions. Along with this challenge, the Y also encouraged, and continues to encourage, employees to participate in other physical activity such as joining their volleyball team, softball team, and participating in the Corporate Challenge. A program series presented by the Boys and Girls Club and Fond du Lac Family YMCA, the Corporate Challenge is a series of physical and mental challenges designed to promote teamwork.
Much of this would not have been possible without the support of YMCA CEO, Greg Giles, “I believe the development of the whole person through spirit, mind and body is something our organization needs to constantly model and encourage in everything we do.”
The Well Workplace Awards initiative is driven by a rigorous set of criteria outlined in WELCOA’s seven benchmarks to a result-oriented Well Workplace. Since its inception in 1991, over 1,000 organizations, ranging from educational institutions to non-profit and profit sectors, have joined the list of “America’s Healthiest Companies” by receiving the Well Workplace Award. “The Fond du Lac Family YMCA worked hard to successfully meet the rigorous standards set by the Well Workplace process. It is our pleasure to recognize them as the newest Wisconsin employer to achieve Well Workplace status” said Wellness Council of Wisconsin’s Executive Director, Jessica Raddemann.
The Wellness Council of Wisconsin was founded in 1985 by nine employers from the Wisconsin business community. With more than 6,000 member organizations located throughout North America, WELCOA is highly recognized and regarded for their innovative and result-oriented.