TM - May 2008 - (Page 43) Web site called the LifeZone. Here, members can view their overall health and fitness accomplishments and go shopping with the miles they’ve earned. Employee Feedback Within one month of offering the program, 71 percent of the 310 employees had activated their accounts. “Everyone was really excited about the idea of getting rewarded for being active,” said Goodwin. “They also loved the feedback. Under the old model of health management, an individual went to their doctor for some tests once a year, and that was the only feedback they received. With HealthMiles, that same individual can get information whenever they need it on their blood pressure, weight and body fat, and then make educated decisions to keep moving in the right direction.” In addition to improving employee health, enhancing productivity and reducing health care costs, employersponsored benefits such as the HealthMiles program can play a key role in employee satisfaction and retention. According to the fifth annual MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends, seven out of 10, or 72 percent, of employees surveyed said workplace benefits were a reason for joining their current employers, and 83 percent said it is a factor for remaining with them. A Little Friendly Competition To kick off the program, ADA and Shaping America’s Health leveraged the competitive spirit of their employees. They held a 30-day step challenge where employees tracked the number of steps they took and competed to win cash prizes. More than 75 percent of employees enrolled in the HealthMiles program took part in the challenge. “It was a mix of people: the fit and healthy and the not so fit and healthy,” said Stephens. “I think it’s because walking is perceived as an activity that anyone can do. Plus, everyone liked the technology.” The competition heated up as the weeks went on. The individuals and teams who were leading the challenge kept a close eye on their standings. “Someone would upload their steps to the LifeZone and see that they were in first place,” said Petrie. “Then, a couple of minutes later, others would upload their steps, and that first person would be knocked down to third place. We’d give each other a hard time in the halls, saying things like, ‘I’m going to catch up with you this week.’ It was a lot of fun.” Employers have found friendly competition in the workplace can boost employee productivity. In a 2007 survey from The Creative Group, 72 percent of employers reported the level of competition among their employees was very or somewhat competitive, and 87 percent reported the level of competition in their workplaces enhances productivity significantly or somewhat. “There was a sense of togetherness and employee camaraderie across business units,” said Stephens. “ And while people were having fun, they were also conducting business. Employees from different departments were talking, understanding and sharing ideas while exercising. That never would have happened before the challenge.” ADA and Shaping America’s Health employees racked up 24,925,928 total steps during the challenge, some 7,357 steps per person per day, with an average of 2,383 miles earned per employee. The top stepper was Paula Warren, with 656,513 steps. The second-place stepper walked 616,000 steps, and third place walked 517,000 steps. Employers have found friendly competition in the workplace can boost employee productivity. “We just started our latest step challenge, and some of our employees are walking up to 10 miles a day,” said Stephens. “HealthMiles has significantly boosted employee morale, and anytime people are happier, you’re going to have better productivity.” The results show the program has a positive, long-term impact on activity and health. In the first 12 months, 30 percent of all HealthMiles members in the U.S. who were previously categorized as inactive became active, and 14 percent with body fat in the above recommended category moved into the healthy range. Additionally, 21 percent of members who were hypertensive or pre-hypertensive improved by at least one category. Chris Boyce is the CEO for Virgin HealthMiles. He can be reached at editor@TalentMgt.com. During the challenge, employees tracked their steps each day with the GoZone pedometers and uploaded them to the LifeZone Web site, where they could not only track their progress but see where they ranked in the competition. “I initially set what I thought was a realistic goal of 12,000 steps a day, but quickly realized that realistic wasn’t going to win the challenge,” said Paula Warren, an ADA employee. “There was one girl who was blowing everyone else out of the water, so I really stepped it up, trying to get in 20,000 to 30,000 steps a day.” Employees engaged in a wide variety of activities to increase their steps — walking in the morning, at lunch and in the evening; walking in place while speaking with others; and even walking around conference tables during meetings. May 2008 talent management magazine www.TalentMgt.com 43 http://www.TalentMgt.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of TM - May 2008 Talent Management - May 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Human Performance Leading Edge Learning Connections Make the Connection: Effective Employee Evaluations Vacation: The Benefit Many Employees Don't Take The Four Pillars of Managing Performance Transform Talent With Deeper Skill Specialization Mentoring's Role in Succession Planning Graybar: Supporting a Long-Term View of Talent Management American Diabetes Association: On a Mission to Improve Employee Health Taking the Talent Pulse: What Drives High Potentials? American Systems Employees Earn a Piece of the Pie Advertisers’ Index Editorial Resources Full Potential TM - May 2008 TM - May 2008 - (Page Intro) TM - May 2008 - Talent Management - May 2008 (Page Cover1) TM - May 2008 - Talent Management - May 2008 (Page Cover2) TM - May 2008 - Talent Management - May 2008 (Page 1) TM - May 2008 - Talent Management - May 2008 (Page 2) TM - May 2008 - Talent Management - May 2008 (Page 3) TM - May 2008 - Editor's Letter (Page 4) TM - May 2008 - Editor's Letter (Page 5) TM - May 2008 - Contents (Page 6) TM - May 2008 - Contents (Page 7) TM - May 2008 - Contents (Page 8) TM - May 2008 - Contents (Page 9) TM - May 2008 - Human Performance (Page 10) TM - May 2008 - Human Performance (Page 11) TM - May 2008 - Leading Edge (Page 12) TM - May 2008 - Leading Edge (Page 13) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 14) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 15) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 16) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 17) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 18) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 19) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 20) TM - May 2008 - Learning Connections (Page 21) TM - May 2008 - Make the Connection: Effective Employee Evaluations (Page 22) TM - May 2008 - Make the Connection: Effective Employee Evaluations (Page 23) TM - May 2008 - Make the Connection: Effective Employee Evaluations (Page 24) TM - May 2008 - Make the Connection: Effective Employee Evaluations (Page 25) TM - May 2008 - Vacation: The Benefit Many Employees Don't Take (Page 26) TM - May 2008 - Vacation: The Benefit Many Employees Don't Take (Page 27) TM - May 2008 - Vacation: The Benefit Many Employees Don't Take (Page 28) TM - May 2008 - Vacation: The Benefit Many Employees Don't Take (Page 29) TM - May 2008 - The Four Pillars of Managing Performance (Page 30) TM - May 2008 - The Four Pillars of Managing Performance (Page 31) TM - May 2008 - The Four Pillars of Managing Performance (Page 32) TM - May 2008 - The Four Pillars of Managing Performance (Page 33) TM - May 2008 - Transform Talent With Deeper Skill Specialization (Page 34) TM - May 2008 - Transform Talent With Deeper Skill Specialization (Page 35) TM - May 2008 - Mentoring's Role in Succession Planning (Page 36) TM - May 2008 - Mentoring's Role in Succession Planning (Page 37) TM - May 2008 - Mentoring's Role in Succession Planning (Page 38) TM - May 2008 - Mentoring's Role in Succession Planning (Page 39) TM - May 2008 - Graybar: Supporting a Long-Term View of Talent Management (Page 40) TM - May 2008 - Graybar: Supporting a Long-Term View of Talent Management (Page 41) TM - May 2008 - American Diabetes Association: On a Mission to Improve Employee Health (Page 42) TM - May 2008 - American Diabetes Association: On a Mission to Improve Employee Health (Page 43) TM - May 2008 - Taking the Talent Pulse: What Drives High Potentials? (Page 44) TM - May 2008 - Taking the Talent Pulse: What Drives High Potentials? (Page 45) TM - May 2008 - Taking the Talent Pulse: What Drives High Potentials? (Page 46) TM - May 2008 - Taking the Talent Pulse: What Drives High Potentials? (Page 47) TM - May 2008 - American Systems Employees Earn a Piece of the Pie (Page 48) TM - May 2008 - Editorial Resources (Page 49) TM - May 2008 - Editorial Resources (Page 50) TM - May 2008 - Editorial Resources (Page 51) TM - May 2008 - Editorial Resources (Page 52) TM - May 2008 - Editorial Resources (Page Cover3) TM - May 2008 - Editorial Resources (Page Cover4)
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