Connecticut-Based Insurance Agency Helps Clients Exercise Wellness Options
The HealthConsultants Group works directly with regional companies to help them institute effective insurance solutions for their employees. The resulting intimate expertise with employee benefits translates into HCG having strong data that enables the staff to coach companies in Wellness solutions for workers at all levels. So, when DATTCO, a large, family-owned and operated bus company based in New Britain, Connecticut, expressed concern about the health of their employees, HCG drew up a winning game plan to beat the problem. A Biggest Loser competition. • Out of a total of 1400 employees, 185—or 13 percent—participated in the competition. • Over the eight week contest, participants lost a total of 915 pounds of body weight and 461 pounds of fat mass. • Most importantly, more than 85 percent of participants moved towards a healthier body mass index (BMI).
Hartford, CT (PRWEB) November 18, 2010
Consulting agencies often help companies succeed by cutting waste. The HealthConsultants Group, LLC (HCG) recently bolstered a firm's productivity by reducing waists.
As President of HCG— the northeast’s premier employee benefits company—Brien Beakey and his staff see fostering employee wellness as a perfect way to balance the scales between company success and worker satisfaction: As employees' weight, stress and health problems go down, company productivity and employee morale go way up.
Beakey and his staff work directly with regional companies to help them institute effective insurance solutions for their employees. The resulting intimate expertise with employee benefits translates into HCG having strong data that enables the staff to coach companies in Wellness solutions for workers at all levels. So, when DATTCO, a large, family-owned and operated bus company based in New Britain, Connecticut, expressed concern about the health of their employees, HCG drew up a winning game plan to beat the problem.
“We presented DATTCO the Biggest Loser competition,” says Laure Welch, Wellness Life Coach for HCG “We were thrilled when the employees strongly embraced the competition. Employees registered for the program at the end of July and 19 teams of up to 10 people each competed. The program began with a health screening for all participants. “We sat with each individual and reviewed their body composition and analysis results. I discussed various ways to introduce some basic nutritional strategies which in turn build good habits,” says Welch. “All participants were very eager to begin implementing these Wellness strategies.”
The competition officially kicked off August 9th and ran through October 4th, with weigh-in sessions taking place every four weeks. Welch and company crunched each participant’s numbers at the weigh-ins, then steered and cheered them toward greater success by providing one-on-one feedback and tips for improvement. Welch bridged the gaps between these in-person weigh-in sessions by sending employee participants motivational emails and health tips every week. Welch also approached meal planning in a realistic and manageable manner.
“Many DATTCO employees are on the road all day, so rather than providing a meal plan that could be difficult to follow, we provided meal replacement options.” said Welch. "Along with general ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, the program provided specific options for their favorite fast food spots. It was unrealistic to say don’t eat McDonald's, instead, if you are going to go to McDonald's, make your choice from one of these five options.”
A recent Indiana University/Purdue study showed that 87.5 percent of a company’s health care expenses are directly related to employees' lifestyles. The lack of a healthy body composition puts people at an increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes and colon cancer, as well as a host of other health problems.
Knowing how to control these factors provide HCG with a one-two punch that helps knock-out excess health care costs and absenteeism. This, in turn, bolsters a company’s efficiency and success. Carleen Keith, Human Resources Coordinator for DATTCO, saw the results first hand. “We know healthier employees have less stress, better productivity and have excellent attendance records. It was amazing how quickly we noticed higher morale. The success of our employees was highly attributed to the skills, knowledge and the personalized approach that Laure utilized with each person.”
BY THE NUMBERS:
Out of a total of 1400 employees, 185—or 13 percent—participated in the competition. Over the eight week contest, participants lost a total of 915 pounds of body weight and 461 pounds of fat mass. Most importantly, more than 85 percent of participants moved towards a healthier body mass index (BMI).
“Many of the participants have made permanent lifestyle changes, one has even stopped smoking,” says Welch. “The results were amazing. I was truly honored to work with DATTCO to reach their goals. We are an employee benefits provider committed to making a healthy difference for businesses and individuals. DATTCO proved that Wellness Programs are not just good for employees, they are good for business.”
For additional information on the program or for photos please contact Paula Fahy Ostop at 860.748.1845 or paula(at)go-media(dot)com
# # #
