Credit: Original article published here.

It is worthwhile to briefly set aside our (understandable) focus and concern with the COVID-19 pandemic to see how the Wells’ employee wellness initiative is doing.

As a reminder, we were watching first-hand the heartache and sorrow that serious illnesses impose on people and their loved ones/co-workers.  The serious illnesses were also exacting a hefty financial toll in the form of high costs to both the employee/spouse and the Company.  Like most companies who sponsor health insurance for their employees, Wells Concrete saw that around 80% of its health insurance costs were attributable to less than 20% of the people covered by the company’s health insurance plans.  Many of the serious illnesses afflicting the 20% were things like cancer, heart attacks, diabetes and musculoskeletal problems requiring back surgeries and joint replacements (shoulders, knees and hips).  Also, the primary causes of many of these serious illnesses were lifestyle choices; nicotine usage, obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise, etc.

Every year for the past three years Wells Concrete and its employees have taken some bold steps to address these trends.  The company contracted with a third party to visit its worksites and measure, through a venipuncture blood draw (and lab analyses of the blood draws) and other tests, 5 key health markers:

• Weight / Body Mass Index
• Blood Pressure
• Glucose
• Nicotine usage, and
• Cholesterol

Wells covered the costs of the third party and extended the services to employees on the Company’s health plans and spouses on the Company’s health plans.  The third party also provided coaching sessions tailored to an individual’s results (for example, if high cholesterol was a problem the coach pointed out ways to lower it).  If eligible employees (and spouses) participated in the venipuncture, attended all the coaching sessions and were deemed by the third party to make a genuine effort to follow the coach’s advice, they were eligible for a healthcare incentive.

Since the implementation of the program the results have been very encouraging:

1. The number of serious illnesses afflicting employees and / or spouses has declined.
2. The costs of providing medical coverage has remained flat over the 3 years, and therefore the amount employees pay as medical premiums has remained flat for 3 years.
3. The healthcare incentives paid to participating employees and participating spouses has been over $900 per year in 2019 and again in 2020, and this amount has been paid to both the employee and the spouse.
4. Most important, employees / spouses have shared circumstances with the Company that the wellness program helped identify serious health problems that they weren’t aware of.

The COVID-19 pandemic originated from circumstances beyond anyone’s control.  On health issues our employees / spouses can control, however, we have seen a very impressive focus and commitment on the part of our employees / spouses to address and overcome them.

Mark Del Vecchio
VP – Human Resources, Health and Safety