Independent Banker - February 2020 - 24

PORTFOLIO
sensation. " " It's usually groups that
have had programs for a minimum of
three years-probably more like fi ve
or six years-where wellness is part
of their culture that see an impact on
overall claims, " she adds.
Experts say the best wellness programs
are built around the needs of
an organization's particular set of
employees. Ritsema is convinced that
it's worth paying a third party to send
out healthcare surveys or run focus
groups to pinpoint the wellness priorities
of one's own employees.
NFP's Smolensky agrees, noting that
the average wellness program sees
only 30-40% participation. To raise
engagement rates, she says, a program
needs to be relevant and tailored to
the demographics of a specifi c group
of employees.
Smolensky points out that women
may desire support for family planning
and women's health issues. Millennials,
on the other hand, may value pet
insurance or fl exible work schedules,
allowing them to engage more on
social issues.
For banks just launching a wellness
program, Miller suggests starting
small. " Incent people to get annual
physicals by giving them a $25 gift
card if they do, " he says. " Even something
like that might propel somebody
to change a behavior that could save
them from a heart attack fi ve years
from now. "
Boosting employee participation
Community banks can succeed with
one or two wellness benefi ts that make
sense for their particular culture.
One example is $120 million-asset
The Peoples Savings Bank in Urbana,
Ohio, which off ers its 28 employees a
complimentary YMCA membership-a
benefi t that has been available since
" People who don't
go to the gym really
appreciate the fact
that [our exercise
benefit still gives
them] an incentive
to work out. "
-Abby Stoa, Farmers State
Bank of Hartland
a nearby facility opened two decades
ago. Nearly half of the community
bank's employees take advantage of
the benefi t, says Beth Ropp, vice president
of lending. " We want to let them
know we're concerned about their
health, " she adds.
Although benefi ts do not need to
be fl ashy, wellness programs can
turn off employees if they're not welldesigned-or
worse yet, smack of Big
Brother. Working with a third party can
be a good way to reassure employees
that there's a privacy fence around
health data collected by employers.
Miller has found that cash incentives
can work wonders. Bank of Ann Arbor,
for instance, off ers an $80 a month
discount toward healthcare premiums
for participating employees who earn
a required 1,000 points in the company's
wellness program. When spouses
or domestic partners participate, the
monthly incentive rises to $120.
One unique aspect of Bank of Ann
Arbor's wellness program is its partnership
with local nonprofi ts that
provide education on an array of topics,
from how to care for aging parents
to lectures on seasonal depression and
other mental health issues.
Bank of Ann Arbor has also pledged
to help employees with their fi nancial
health. " If you're stressed out because
you have to deal with your parents,
and you look at your checkbook and
it's short, " Miller says, " those things
factor into how an employee is going
to be engaged in the work we do here. "
Making sure that the benefi ts are
available to everyone is a high priority
for Farmers State Bank of Hartland,
which gives employees $50 per month
for working out at least 12 days during
the previous month, Stoa says.
What began as a benefi t to defray the
costs of a gym membership morphed
into a benefi t for anyone who exercises
consistently. That's because those at
the community bank realized that " not
everybody has the opportunity to get to
a gym, and some people just like to run
on the treadmill at home, " Stoa says.
" I'm a mom with three little kids at
24 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q February 2020
Independent Banker - February 2020

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