NHSocal started its wellness program by accident and competition. CEO and Owner, Kevin Landry is competitive by nature as he was in college and encourages a healthy lifestyle whenever physically possible. Laura, VP and Employee Experience, and him began a friendly competition on their new FitBits. This led to competing with anyone else who had one. Owning a Fitbit to track ones “steps” turned into a companywide competition, and eventually into the start of our program. Now, daily walks around our office building for a break, brainstorming session and even some calls are taken while walking, or competing.
“Being recognized as a Healthiest Company, especially in the epicenter of San Diego is amazing. We are all about IT and we love our computers, but that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy hiking, surfing, or football. Were really competitive and I’m stoked we are seen among the healthiest in San Diego.” –Ryan Landry, General Manager and VP Government Learning Solutions
NHSoCal started “Fresh Fruit Monday” where all of our five locations receive weekly fruit from organic farmers. The shipments involve apples, bananas, pears, and a special “fruit of the week”. This has helped alleviate unhealthy snacking habits we fall into.
Our CEO Kevin is primarily the reason for our wellness program. He has taken us under his physically fit wings to mentor in healthy lifestyle choices. Laura Noid, VP of Employee Experience, has taken this initiative and helped to integrate it within our new hire packages. She started a reimbursement where if new employees would like to participate, New Horizons will subsidize 50% of a new FitBit.
Culture has definitely improved over the span of our wellness programs. The daily walks allow for more interpersonal communication between the employees. Our FitBit challenges create a sense of healthy competition where employees want to win by counting steps and calories burnt.
Our milestones for measuring employee success within our wellness program are based heavily on interpersonal competition. Bragging rights seem to encourage all who wish to participate. Our FitBit challenge is measured once a month, with a challenge of 10,000 steps per day. If this goal is reached, the employee will win a prize, such as a company polo shirt, gift card, or lunch with the CEO. If the employee beats his/her manager, the employee is rewarded with lunch, a half-day, or other fun prizes.
Mark Twain wrote “the only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.” Here at New Horizons, we have chosen to do the opposite. We do what we love, which involves maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Our company culture makes it fun to exercise, makes it okay to eat an apple anytime of the day, and encourages every one of our employees to “hit the deck” and do a push up.