RIT’s Employee Wellness Program Redefines Return on Investment

‌

A. Sue Weisler

Students, faculty and staff sample the offerings at the RIT Farmers’ Market.

In any business, the fate of an employee program lies in the return on investment. However, members of the Rochester Institute of Technology community are finding out their investment in the Better Me employee wellness program is resulting in more than just a financial payout.

A partnership between RIT and Wellness Coaches USA has translated into healthier, happier and more productive employees, as well as an anticipated long-term reduction in healthcare costs for the university.

Better Me is working closely with Wellness Coaches USA to provide a personalized, hands-on approach to wellness on campus. Formally launched in 2007, Better Me aims to provide a comprehensive means for optimal health for faculty and staff. This is accomplished by offering services that focus on both physical and mental fitness, such as group exercise classes, personal training, registered dietician services, wellness seminars, massage therapy, Weight Watchers sessions, a farmers’ market on campus and, most recently, on-site wellness coaching.

Wellness Coaches USA is a leading national provider of on-site, face-to-face wellness coaching made available directly to employees in the workplace by highly trained, professional wellness coaches. It is through this partnership that RIT’s Better Me program has achieved the desired focus on the health needs of the whole person that is sought for the wellness program.

Last year, a pilot study utilizing wellness coaching services was targeted to approximately 650 faculty and staff. The pilot included informational sessions, biometric screenings, education on health based guidelines and individual consultations for employees.

Beyond informational sessions, the coaches provide one-on-one interactions that focus on an employee’s specific issues and needs. RIT employee Nancy Drum believes the pilot study was the first thing that helped her overcome a 30-year struggle with an addiction to food. Hard work with a wellness coach allowed her to gain control of her eating habits.

“My wellness coach was the first person to understand the problem and then help me with it in the correct way,” says Drum. With the coach’s help, she was also able to reduce her blood pressure, which was one of the main goals in her tailored program. The program has also helped map her progress for her doctor.

RIT’s wellness coaches have helped many other members of the faculty and staff. Eighty-three employees lowered their blood pressure (with 27 seeing significant declines), and 53 employees lost a total of 368 pounds.

While the program is helping people drop pounds, it is also helping the university’s bottom line. One of the main focuses of the employee health and wellness program is preventive care. Not only do the guidelines set out by Wellness Coaches USA help improve overall physical and mental wellness, but they also help prevent costly procedures, surgeries and medication. More specifically, research conducted at the University of Michigan demonstrated cost savings associated with improvements in lifestyle behaviors and health risks. The study calculated medical care cost savings in excess of $500 per year for each person who quits smoking and $500 annually for each person who increases weekly exercise from two or fewer days per week to three or more.

In addition to overall cost, the program is improving performance levels in the office. RIT surveyed managers of pilot participants and found that 50 percent of respondents saw an increased focus and morale, and over 30 percent saw decreased tardiness and sick days within their departments.

“Based on our pilot data, we are thrilled to continue this partnership with Wellness Coaches USA to expand and offer this service to all of our employees in 2010 and are really looking forward to further impacting the health of the RIT community,” says Midge Berfield, RIT’s manager of employee health and wellness.