Recently there was an article about the increase in the quality of work and the amount of work a company can gain from treating its employees well and helping them take care of themselves physically. As I read the article it reminded me of a corporate client we began working with years ago that even today remains ahead of the curve.
This regional freight transportation resource company has a variety of people with various job descriptions working in a large area. They perform their tasks well and stay mentally on top of their jobs throughout the day. This is a company that does not have many employee “issues” due in part to the corporate climate established by the Human Resource department with the guidance and direction of the CEO. The main goal in this company is to provide excellent service to its customers through well trained and satisfied employees. There are many things that are done to help the company achieve this goal consistently. There are two I found to be especially interesting.
One was the establishment of an on site full gymnasium complete with male and female work out equipment, large flat screen televisions, full A/V system, a separate room with wall to wall work out mats set aside for classes of different types and complete shower / dressing areas. Personal trainers arrive daily to help the company employees stay on track to reach their designated goals. There is no requirement by the company for any employee to take part in these offerings, but with everything available at no cost, it is hard to pass up!
The second thing that this company does is provide an in house certified nutritionist who plans and prepares nutritious breakfasts and hot lunches daily as well as providing dinner to take home for their family when the order is placed in advance. Eating delicious, healthy food at less than the cost of a drive through chicken or burger and fries keeps the pounds off and the budget trimmed. It also keeps employees alert and focused after meals instead of fighting sleep on the job while waiting for that two o’clock coffee to brew.
When an employee decides to participate in this service they take a survey and give information to the nutritionist regarding their food preferences and any dietary restrictions their physician has indicated. The menus are prepared weekly with all of this information in mind and posted in the state of the art kitchen dining area for employees to review so they know what type of meals to look forward to each day.
With these types of services available to their employees, this company has noticed a dramatic drop in the number of employee sick days, a reduction in overall company health care costs, and an increase in customer satisfaction and retention. The benefits provided have certainly paid well for all involved.
