Too often, people associate their jobs with stress, pain, and overall unhealthiness.
Because you’ll be spending 40 hours a week doing it, a job should be a place that promotes healthiness, both mentally and physically. Luckily, there are many employers in America that understand the endless advantages to keeping employees healthy. Successful corporate wellness programs are the result of these employers.
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There are many more than 45 companies in America that emphasize corporate wellness as key to overall success. However, the companies with these top 45 successful corporate wellness programs go above and beyond the basic requirements to keep their employees happy and healthy.
These companies live and breathe the five basic tenants of a successful corporate wellness program, as laid out by Fortune Magazine. The companies on this list:
- Provide employees with practical and accessible programs
- Have a health-conscious work environment
- Integrate wellness into the company structure
- Link wellness to existing support programs
- Offer health screenings and education
Without further ado, here is SnackNation’s top 45 kick-ass corporate wellness programs for employees (in no particular order):
1. Motley Fool
It’s more fun and healthy to work for this financial giant than you might think! The Motley Fool takes employee wellness seriously, and they plan the initiatives to prove it.
Here’s a little tidbit from the “Fools” themselves:
“It’s a fact: Healthy employees are happy and more productive. The Fool is really into wellness — so much so that we staff a full-time certified personal trainer to lead our Foolish Fitness program.”
Employees at the Motley Fool benefit from a variety of different programs that bolster the physical and mental wellness of employees. Here are some examples of their offerings:
- Incredible health plans that cost employees only about $4 a paycheck
- Sick and vacation leave policies that run on a take-what-you-need basis
- Continuing education
- Paid leave for new moms and new dads
- Disability insurance
- A kitchen stocked with healthy snacks
- Annual health fairs
- Health, wellness, and hobby clubs
- Free personal training sessions
- 50% reimbursement for races of any kind
- free spinning and boot camp classes
2. Earth Friendly Products
In a recent press release, the President and CEO of Earth Friendly Products (a company most known for its willingness to help the environment) said,
“the health and wellness of people and the planet are at the heart of why we make ECOS plant-powered cleaners.”
The company, named a Top Workplace in Orange County, definitely has initiatives in place to back up this up!
Taking one of our favorite routes to health, Earth Friendly Products employees are welcome to snag food from an organic fruits and vegetables garden. Talk about fresh food!
Employee feedback indicates these wellness initiatives are well received. Here’s just one glowing review from Glassdoor:
“I appreciate everything this company does. It’s mission and values speak to my beliefs as a person and I’m thankful for the opportunity to work at EFP.”
3. Draper, Inc.
Manufacturers of audiovisual equipment, Draper, Inc is headquartered about 40 miles outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. Yet, this small company packs a big punch in regards to corporate wellness for employees. It offers an on-site wellness center, health challenges with sizeable prizes, and a wellness committee to help perpetuate programs.
Draper took home a 2016 Best and Brightest Award, which, according to the award homepage, “strives to recognize the most influential, trend-setting companies across the country and regionally in focused programs.”
4. Google
Saying that working at Google is amazing is a little like saying that the sky is blue. What you might not have known is that the tech giant is so invested in its employee’s health that it has a People & Innovation Lab (PiLab) to conduct research and think of unique ways to keep the company’s employees healthy. Its Googlers-to-Googlers program has employees teach other employees fitness practices to keep them healthy.
5. Zappos
Championing “Wellness Adventures” where employees are whisked away from their desk for an hour for something active and fun, Zappos has proven its commitment to happy, healthy employees time and time again. The company also has “Recess Tuesdays” in which playground toys are laid out in the plaza and employees are encouraged to use them.
6. EMC
With an incentive-based Health Rewards Program, on-site gyms and pools, and a color-coded cafeteria to encourage more plants in their employees’ diets, EMC is great at finding ways to get their employees to live healthier lives.
7. Microsoft
Healthy living includes creating a healthy community through volunteering. That’s why Microsoft, one of the world’s leading tech giants, offers such benefits donating $17 per hour when an employee volunteers at an organization. This is in addition to other, more conventional, employee benefits, like flex work hours and free gym memberships.
8. Accenture
On top of a huge program to help its employees with issues ranging from anxiety to substance abuse, Accenture also provides employees to resources for keeping active on the road. This is abundantly useful, as many of this consulting firm’s employees are constantly on the go between clients.
9. JetBlue
Known primarily for its affordable, yet high quality airlines, JetBlue offers its “crew members” unlimited access to LifeSolutions, a mental health hotline. It also offers a $400 deductible to use towards the cost of insurance, copays, and prescription costs.
10. Genentech
Guided meditation and an on-site farmers market? Sign us up! This company also offers business travel health kits for employees who travel for their jobs.
11. SAS
With a free on-site healthcare center and free healthy snacks, SAS is definitely one of our favorite industry leaders for successful corporate wellness programs. The fact that employees can also go through their to-do list on their lunch break by visiting a variety of on-site amenities only adds to its awesomeness.
12. Hasbro
Hasbro’s impact on your children might make the company well known to you, but from an employee’s perspective, this play-focused company has a lot of employee health and wellness programs as well. With paid leave for both parents, assistance with foster care, and adoption leave, Hasbro reaffirms its family-centric values.
13. Twitter
It might take more than 160 characters to describe this social media giant’s amazing corporate wellness program. Worth naming are the unlimited vacation days and full medical and dental coverage.
14. Life Fitness
It only makes sense that the companies that brought you most of your gym equipment would also go above and beyond in promoting fitness. With meeting rooms that have standing height conference tables, gyms for quick eight-minute workouts, and a FitBit “race” that pits both Illinois office against each other, Life Fitness makes staying healthy in-office easy.
15. ZocDoc
With free catered lunches, and an eat together family culture, ZocDoc employees are surprisingly close, being that they number 600. Our favorite aspect of this successful corporate wellness program, though, is the Fun Room, which holds things as diverse as a guitar, arcade games, and even a hammock.
16. Centro
Remember the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? Well, the people of Centro might just have taken the movie a little too literally. In addition to paid vacation days, this company offers employees 10 Ferris Bueller Days, where employees can play hooky, no questions asked.
17. Coupons.com
Ever have a day when you’re busy from the time you get up to the time you lay your head down? The people at Coupons.com don’t have that problem. With services on-site to finish errands—like a Laundromat, dry cleaning, and shoe repair—Coupons.com employees don’t have to stress about how they are going to finish their errands by the end of the day.
18. KIND
We might be slightly biased towards this healthy company, being that we offer their snacks in our healthy snack deliveries. But KIND’s spot on our list is well earned, with a wellness room that employees can visit for some peace and quiet or if they are not feeling well and an unlimited supply of their snacks both in-office and shipped home.
19. Sparks
Three words: five dollar lunches. That’s right, this successful corporate wellness program assures that no matter what their employees choose from the cafeteria for lunch, they will only pay a flat five dollars. Talk about making healthy eating easy and affordable!
20. Council on Foreign Relations
Fitness comes in all forms at this unique company. From its annual ping-pong tournament to stairwell scavenger hunts to yoga classes, the Council on Foreign Relations makes fitness more fun than a chore.
21. SolidFire
Along with this company’s yearly Wellness Day, SolidFire also encourages eco-friendly and healthy alternatives for commuting with its $150 subsidy for public transportation commuters and bicyclists. This article on Great Place to Work includes even more detail about SolidFire’s wellness program that you can get ideas from.
22. Chandler Chicco Agency
Other than a mall, not many work places can boast on-site chair massages. At Chandler Chicco Agency, though, you can get even more than that on a daily basis, including nutritional cooking demonstrations, biometric screenings, and even a 5 o’clock happy hour.
23. Mondo
Reimbursing for the cost of fitness activities? Nothing new. Giving up to five days of paid vacation just for donating hours towards volunteering? Definitely a new, and wonderful, concept that exists only a few places, including Mondo.
24. Tough Mudder
Flex days are a relatively new concept embraced by a wide variety of companies, Tough Mudder included. What is not so conventional about this successful corporate wellness program’s approach occurs in-office, though. It includes walking desks, showers for biking commuters, and a discount on Tough Mudder sponsors, like Under Armour.
25. Camelbak
A company known for its commitment to hydration better have great health perks. Camelbak doesn’t disappoint with its Bak to Health program, an annual competition for hydration, exercise, and health, which rewards all participants with prizes and donations to employee’s favorite charities. They are doing corporate health programs right!
26. Seventh Generation
Unlimited sick days, access to some of Vermont’s finest crisp apples, and free regular checkups at a doctor are only a few of Seventh Generation’s many corporate wellness benefits. An on-site masseuse is another.
27. NutraClick
Looking solely at the results-driven work environment, we already think that NutraClick is the place to be if you’re looking for successful workplace wellness programs. The fact that they have an on-site personal trainer and fitness classes only add to how amazing this company is.
28. The Institute for Integrative Nutrition
On-site chiropractic care and acupuncture coverage are only two of the many benefits to working at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. The fact that breakfast and lunch are provided completely free are only added perks to this company’s healthy culture.
29. Limeade
A tech company that is in the market for tracking employee wellness should be infamous for keeping their employees, well, well. Limeade doesn’t disappoint, with weekly surveys to track employee well being and office fitness challenges.
30. Asana
It’s true that Asana offers unlimited vacation days and a six-week sabbatical after three years of working with the company. This SF-based tech start up’s most unique endeavor, however, has to be its $10,000 budget it allows each employee to make his or her ideal workspace. Here’s a guide of how one company uses Asana.
31. Tradeshift
The Tradeshift HQ is essentially a gamer’s paradise. From video games to Foosball and ping-pong, this company is a haven for gaming. However, the company also encourages more tasking physical activity by covering the cost of the Bay Area Bike Share for all of its employees.
32. Pro Athlete Inc.
The Pro Athlete headquarters is basically a huge gym, with a full sized volleyball court, racquetball court, cardio room, and pool. Employees also meet quarterly with a wellness coordinator to meet all of their health goals.
33. ZOZI
Still saving for that European vacation? The employees at ZOZI sure aren’t. Each employee at this unique company gets a $400 quarterly “fun fund” to spend on a mini vacation, or save for something bigger.
34. The Mission Continues
This nonprofit, primarily for veterans, also has great employee benefits. Namely, each employee is assigned a life and health coach from Engaged Health Solutions and are encouraged to keep in touch with their coaches at least once a week to achieve their goals.
35. SnackNation
What? Us? Well, with benefits like unlimited healthy snacks, personal development (“Sensei”) sessions, unlimited vacation, and bi-weekly yoga practices, it would be hard to leave us off of this list.
36. Numi Organic Tea
Continuing the progressive trend of the bay area is Oakland-based Numi. Along with a comprehensive benefits & corporate wellness packages, Numi gives its employees a health and wellness stipend for massages, relaxation retreats, and much more.
37. Voom Wellness
If you’re talking about work flexibility, you need to mention Voom. At Voom, employees are not only encouraged, but expected to work two days from home and a third day outside of the office in an unconventional meeting environment, like a park or hot springs.
38. Cyberonics
Like other companies on our list, this Houston-based medical device company incentivizes healthy habits. However, Cyberonics goes above and beyond by also encouraging employees to participate in team sports, which promote a sense of camaraderie and keep employees active.
39. SmartPractice
Known for its focus on the dental field, SmartPractice also one of the healthiest employers in Phoenix, where it is headquarters. Employees benefit from an on-site nurse practitioner, an on-site gym, on-site health screenings, and financial planning and assistance.
40. Fullscreen Media
To give employees the best-possible wellness program, Fullscreen Media works with a company that has made employee wellness their raison d’être—Marino Wellness. Using an outside consultant allows Fullscreen Media staff to stay focused on day-to-day work while leaving new wellness initiatives to the experts.
This approach works perfectly for Fullscreen. On the Marino Wellness testimonials page, a FullScreen Media employee says:
Marino Wellness is the best thing since sliced bread. They helped us build a health & wellness program for our Los Angeles office piloting everything from yoga to bootcamp to meditation and our employee bases’ personal favorite 1 on 1 health coaching and 10 minute chair massages. The best part about Marino Wellness? Definitely the staff and their consultative and fully comprehensive services from initial survey to internal marketing and collateral to vendor management – they really are a one-stop shop!!
41. OrthoCarolina
OrthoCarolina runs a wellness program that’s proven to boost employee health. The company landed on Springbuk’s 100 Healthiest Employers in America (H100) list for 2017 for implementing a program that led to positive employee health outcomes, specifically having over 90% of employees meet preventative care guidelines.
OrthoCarolina’s wellness director attributes the program’s success to an element of employee choice. The company offers a variety of options in all its locations so employees can self select the activities that make them feel their best.
42. Nutranext
Nutranext creates nutrition products, and they believe employee wellness is central to their success as a company. Dedicated to employee health, Nutranext highlights their comprehensive wellness benefits right on their homepage.
Nutranext’s in-depth wellness initiative includes:
- Personal trainers
- On-site medical attention, including mammograms
- Weight-loss competitions
- Discounts on nutritional supplements
Like OrthoCarolina, Nutranext made it onto Springbuk’s 100 Healthiest Employers in America (H100) list for 2017. What makes Nutranext’s program so special? According to Springbuk, wellness coaching sessions and leveraging data make all the difference.
43. Goodwill
Famous for supporting disadvantaged and disabled people in communities, Goodwill also has a flare for inward-facing altruism; the company offers a robust wellness program called the GoodLife. The program includes:
- Education and awareness initiatives
- Employee health challenges
- Health coaching offered by registered nurses
- Comprehensive support programs
- Discounts to health centers and wellness resources
44. Dominion Power
Dominion offers an employee wellness plan called Well on Your Way. The name captures the spirit of a program designed to help employees get on their way to feeling good and saving money.
The Well on Your Way program offers employees more than just help getting well; the program puts effective wellness tools right at employees’ fingertips. Participants in the program can take advantage of:
- Free access to health coaching. The coaching is conducted by health professionals, such nurses and dieticians, and it addresses a variety of areas, including weight management, stress management, nutrition, and more.
- A tobacco cessation program employees can easily access online.
- Reproductive health programs focusing on safe pregnancies and healthy babies.
- A 24/7 NurseLine powered by Anthem.
And it gets better. Dominion motivates hesitant employees to dive into wellness programs at work by offering a discount on medical benefits to anyone who completes two wellness activities within 90 days of their hire date. They also extend the benefit to employees’ partners or spouses covered under the company’s health plan.
Check out this case study on Dominion’s wellness program for an in-depth look at initiatives and results.
45. Lincoln Industries
Lincoln Industries says, “We believe that supporting our people’s health and wellness interests is a sound investment in our company, as the most important asset of the company is the people.” And they are not all talk. The company has the employee wellness initiatives in place to back up their lofty words and then some. Even better, their initiatives do just what they’re designed to do—make employees happier and healthier; Lincoln Industries makes repeat appearances on the Great Place to Work® Institute’s list of the 25 Best Medium Companies to Work for in America.
The company’s wellness program works by making healthy choices easy. They provide all the resources employees could possibly need to make smart choices and take control of their health. Lincoln Industry offers:
- An on-site health center that encourages healthy choices and helps employees manage critical health risk factors, including tobacco use, weight-related issues, and high cholesterol.
- An on-site fitness center that’s open to employees, spouses, and families 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The company believes such an offering will help dissolve common fitness barriers, such as a lack of time or resources. The gym is stocked with top-of-the-line equipment that caters to a variety of fitness needs. The best part? Employees can use the gym for free!
Lincoln Industries makes their health resources even more appealing with a juicy employee incentive program that includes insurance discounts and features an all-expense-paid trip to Colorado for some mountain climbing.
Bonus: BBVA Compass
Digital banking franchise BBVA Compass partnered with VirginPulse to boost employee wellness. The company wanted to elevate holistic wellness by targeting a range of factors including physical, emotional, and financial factors, and while they had a program in place, the marketing and communication efforts failed to rally employee participation.
The solution? Find a way to make participation as easy and automated as possible. The company handled out digital fitness tracking devices and prepared robust initiatives to spread the word.
Here are some of their successful program’s highlights:
- Health fairs to educate employees on health and wellness and the program itself
- A website with a user-friendly wellness tracking portal
- Leveraging ambassadors or “cheerleaders” to encourage program participation
- A cross-channel communication strategy that included newsletters, emails, and physical real estate in break rooms and cafeterias.
Just how successful was the program? Here are a few compelling tidbits from a case study on the program:
“Employees at BBVA Compass are committed to improving their health and well-being. More than 70 percent of employees are enrolled in Virgin Pulse, and 74 percent are meeting or exceeding the recommended levels of physical activity for good health.”
“On average, employees are taking 9,242 steps per day, tracking them using Virgin Pulse’s proprietary wearable fitness tracking device. Since launching the program, BBVA has paid out more than 4 million dollars in incentives.”
It’s obvious that corporate wellness is no longer a luxury – it should be implemented by every organization that wants to make their office an environment that promotes health. These 45 companies have created some amazing employee wellness programs that you can use at your company too.
What is your company doing well that shows they value employee health? Let us know in the comments below.
This article is not only great news to see corporations developing wellness programs, but the PDF download of 121 Employee Wellness Tips is great too! I would love to see more corporations and other organizations adding Laughter Wellness and Laughter Yoga to their programs. The health benefits of laughter are many, and more research is being done daily. For example, did you know that laughter does the same thing for your brain as meditation? That just smiling, even if you don’t feel like it and laughing as an exercise instead of relying on comedy can help your brain release feel-good endorphins? Look into Laughter Wellness and Laughter Yoga in your area.
Great Article! The concept of wellness has been around so many years! I agree with you, it is not a luxury but should be included within a company’s business plan!
Glad that I stumbled upon this piece. We are planning to start a corporate wellness program of ours very soon at our workplace and this is a great starting point for that. Thanks.
Great Blog, extremely informative and helpful. Keep up the good work.