Of the seven winners, five were present to receive their awards.  Applications were divided into two categories: “Companies with More than 200 Employees,” and “Companies with Fewer Than 200 Employees.” Three awards were given in each of the following categories: Platinum, Gold and Silver.

Recipients include: 

Companies with More Than 200 Employees 

Platinum:           City of St. Charles Wellness Program and Team, St. Charles, Ill.

Gold:                City of Highland Park, Ill.             

Silver:              TRW Automotive, Marshall, Ill.                             

Companies with Fewer Than 200 Employees
Platinum:           Robinson Engineering, South Holland, Ill.

Gold:                DISTek Integrations, Carthage, Ill.

Silver:              Lafarge Joppa, Grand Chain, Ill.

Silver:              Alper Services LLC, Chicago   

The City of St. Charles Wellness Program received a Platinum Award in the “More than 200 Employees” category, in part, because it was able to incent employees to adopt healthy behaviors in exchange for lower health care premiums. 

The city’s program consisted of three goals: encouraging healthy lifestyles among employees, reducing health care costs for the city and providing an opportunity for employees to decrease their health insurance premiums by achieving one or more of six basic health goals. 

Results of their comprehensive commitment to employee wellness have been impressive so far, according to Brian Townsend, St. Charles city administrator.  

“Sixty-one percent of employees surveyed said they started an exercise program and 62 percent started to eat healthier food because of Wellness Team initiatives,” he said. “The city further revealed that its wellness initiatives reduced the number of sick days per employee by 16 percent; reduced hospital admissions by 26 percent, reduced workers compensation costs by 75 percent and reduced health care costs 12 percent per employee.” 

South Holland, Ill.-based Robinson Engineering received a Platinum Award in the “200 Employees or Fewer” category with its “Robinson Employee Wellness program,” which was established in 2007. 

The Robinson’s Employee Wellness Program provides a wide spectrum of health information and services, from monthly health topics to employee health fairs that all seek to improve employee health.   

According to Robinson CEO Chris King, 99 percent of employees participated in the health screenings in the program’s first year, which the company believes led to an overall 73% improvement in cholesterol levels among its workforce.  More importantly, King said the commitment to employee health helped the company realize a 10 to 1 return on its investment in terms of improved employee productivity and reduced health care costs.“

More and more employers and human resources professionals have come to realize that employee wellness programs are excellent ways to promote positive health care behaviors and create more productive workers and employees,” said John Jorgensen, president of ISC-SHRM.“

These companies have reduced health care costs, increased participation in their wellness programs and improved their employee’s health,” said Dieter Freer, senior vice president, Illinois Market Segments, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL). “Truly, these winning companies have hit a grand slam in executing employee wellness programs, and I look forward to presenting them with their awards in August.”

Sponsored by BCBSIL, ISC-SHRM developed an Website focused on employee wellness programs.  Called “WOW” or “Wellness in our Workplace,” the site provides information to human resources professionals who are interested in developing and offering employee wellness programs.