TOP COMPANIES SHOW INVESTING IN EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING L

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Six U.S. Organizations Receive National Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards, Ten Honored for Best Practices
Successful organizations know that taking care of their
employees is not only the right thing to do; it also makesgood business sense. Some U.S. employers are alreadydemonstrating that investing in employee health and well beingleads to business success. The American PsychologicalAssociation APA recognized six organizations El Nuevo DiaPuerto Rico, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Vermont,Healthwise Idaho, Koinonia Homes Ohio, the Las VegasConvention and Visitors Authority (Nevada) and YAI/NationalInstitute for People with Disabilities Network New York fortheir workplace practices that promote employee health andwell being and enhance organizational performance. Thesecompanies were presented with the 2007 NationalPsychologically Healthy Workplace Award PHWA at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 3.

Combined, these six organizations report an average turnoverrate of just 14 percent that trounces the national average of40 percent as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureauof Labor Statistics. Additionally, surveys completed by thewinning organizations show that only 19 percent of employeesreport high levels of work stress compared to 33 percent nationally.

The cost of stress to employers is huge, says Russ Newman,PhD, JD, APA executive director for professional practice.Employers spend an estimated 300 billion dollars a year onstress-related absenteeism, turnover, lowered productivity, and direct medical, legal and insurance costs.

Winners also report cost savings from their workplacepractices, such as a 6.7 percent reduction in health carecosts for Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and a 61 percentreduction in workers compensation claims since 2004 for theLas Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. YAI/NIPDsworkplace practices have allowed the agency to negotiate lowpremiums with health plans, and costs associated with on thejob injuries have dropped by $500,000 over the past five years.

National PHWA winners are often the employer of choice intheir communities. Healthwise receives 125 to 150 applicationsfor every job opening, giving the company an advantage inselecting the very best employees from a large pool of talent.Eighty four percent or more of Koinonia employees say thecompany provides opportunities to learn new skills, givesconstructive performance feedback, and encourages teamwork andemployee participation in goal setting. And when it comes tojob satisfaction, El Nuevo Dia boasts an overall employee satisfaction rate of almost 90 percent.

The link between employee health and well-being andorganizational performance is clear, says Newman. Employerswho embrace that connection are better able to develop a highperforming workforce that serves as a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Psychologically healthy workplace practices fall into fivecategories: employee involvement; health and safety; employeegrowth and development; work life balance; and employeerecognition. Employee participation in decision making, skillstraining and leadership development, flexible workarrangements, and programs promoting healthy lifestyle andbehavior choices are just a few of the qualities that define a psychologically healthy workplace.

In addition to the National PHWA winners, ten organizationsreceived Best Practices Honors for an innovative program orpolicy that contributes to a psychologically healthy workenvironment. The honorees are Community School Virginia,DuBois Regional Medical Center Pennsylvania, El Nuevo DiaPuerto Rico, the Good Samaritan Hospital of Maryland Maryland,the Houston Texans NFL Franchise Texas, the Las VegasConvention and Visitors Authority Nevada, Next Level CafeMinnesota, OMNI Youth Services Illinois, Stratix CorporationGeorgia, and Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center Hawaii.

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