Only a year and a half into wellness programming, the Mall of America already has seen a wellness “buzz” and health care savings that may be the result of its employee wellness initiative.
Susan Amundson, HR director of the mall’s 900-employee workforce (that’s just mall employees–about 12,000 more work in the stores), acknowledges that while it is too early to directly attribute cost savings to wellness efforts, it is certainly possible that the focus on preventive measures is already paying off.
Mall of America, located in Bloomington, Minnesota and one of the largest shopping malls in the country, prides itself on being a top tourist destination.
"There’s a wellness concern in the office," comments Maureen Hooley Bausch, executive vice president of Business Development. "You can tell it has overtaken the staff, and they know that the people who are taking care of themselves are definitely ‘cooler’ than the people who aren’t."
Wellness was never on the radar before the program started, Amundson says. People are now talking about what they’re doing to be healthy, and they want to know what you are doing. "There’s definitely a buzz," she says.
Amundson says that the company has always operated under the strategy of providing quality healthcare coverage at an affordable price to its team members (employees), a goal that the Mall has struggled to maintain as healthcare costs have increased.
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‘There’s Another Option’
Discussion began about 2 years ago regarding the possibility of increasing deductibles, copays, and monthly deductions. Instead, she explains, Mall leadership determined there was another option. "We really began to focus on the health of employees and how we could support our employees to achieve healthier lifestyles."
Wellness programming began with weight management and smoking cessation programs that team members participated in voluntarily. "We’ve tried to focus on behavioral things such as eating healthier and getting moving," says Amundson. Those are the kinds of things that people can do easily that make a big difference, she notes.
Full-Time Focus
During 2008, Jennifer Swanson took on the wellness initiative as a fulltime responsibility and was named coordinator of health and wellness. In addition to the weight management and smoking cessation programming, other wellness activities that have been initiated include the Shape-Up Program and Walk to Wellness Club.
Swanson explains, "The Shape-Up Program, available through our health insurance provider, Medica, is the most popular, probably due to the advertising that was done this year.” Medica provided training to participating employers and the communication materials to promote the 6-week event, which gave points to participants for getting enough sleep, eating the right foods (including fruits and vegetables), and taking time for oneself every day, notes Swanson. Prizes were awarded to people compiling the most points.
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Swanson added "Fruity Friday" and "Veggie Vensday" to this effort, providing fruits on Friday and vegetables on Wednesday to team members stopping by the HR offices.
In tomorrow’s Advisor, we’ll look at some more of the Mall of America’s wellness programs, and take a look at a popular program guide that can help you set up a results-oriented wellness program for your employees.
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