Healthy choices at U.P.

Kristin Dennett starts each morning at Union Pacific Corp. with a six-mile run or a spin on a stationary bicycle.

“I consider it like my morning coffee. When I come to work, I am ready to start going instead of trying to wake up,” she said.

About 360 people join Dennett every day at the fitness center in Union Pacific's downtown headquarters. About 2,000 of the building's 3,000 occupants belong to the fitness center and at least 1,000 visit once a month.

And it's all free.

Other employees across U.P.'s 23-state system can work out on the company's dime at fitness centers around the country.

At the company's headquarters building at 14th and Douglas Streets, workers like the row upon row of treadmills, step machines and free weights. The company likes healthy employees.

“Not just to keep down health care costs,” said Jackie Austad, general director of health promotions. “It makes employees safer and more productive, feel better and more likely to be engaged.”

The fitness centers are just one reason Union Pacific has earned the highest award for healthy lifestyles presented each of the last six years by the National Business Group on Health, a nonprofit organization made up of large companies across the country.

In the latest awards year, U.P. was one of just 16 companies nationwide to earn platinum. It was the only railroad or transportation company among 66 employers recognized, and it was the only company in Nebraska to be honored.

Other reasons for the award include an overarching strategy that involves communicating with employees, support from upper management and integrating encouragement with tangible rewards, said LuAnn Heinen, vice president of the National Business Group on Health. The organization has 290 member companies, including 64 of the top 100 largest firms in the country.

“These programs aren't stagnant,” Heinen said. “You look at what's working and not working. What can I pull off, what do my employees want?”

Austad said other health- and wellness-related programs at Union Pacific include the employment of 40 occupational health nurses stationed across the network to answer employees' questions. The company also offers $100 health savings account grants for workers who complete annual health assessments.

The National Business Group on Health, which also presents the perspective of large employers on national health policy issues, declined to disclose how many companies entered its “2010 Best Employers for Healthy Lifesyles” competition.

The Wellness Council of America, founded in Omaha in the mid-1980s, now has a national membership of more than 3,200 employers.

Organized around the principle that preventing disease is more cost-effective than curing disease, the council has more than 140 members in the Omaha area, including Union Pacific, ConAgra Foods and Mutual of Omaha.

Promoting employees' health pays off, according to a Harvard University study published in the February edition of the monthly journal “Health Affairs.”

According to the study, for every dollar spent on wellness programs, medical costs dropped by about $3.27. Costs related to absenteeism dropped by approximately $2.73 for every dollar spent.

ConAgra Foods understands the importance of health in the workplace, said spokeswoman Melissa Baron.

“The choices we make regarding health and well-being have a significant impact not only on our personal lives but also on ConAgra Foods as a company,” Baron said.

ConAgra has six onsite fitness centers at various Omaha locations. Membership is free to employees, as are classes such as yoga and strength training.

Walking paths are marked inside and outside the company's sprawling downtown campus, including paths around a small lake.

Health-risk questionnaires are available online, and ConAgra offers biometric screenings and access to health coaches, Baron said.

ConAgra workers who complete wellness programs are rewarded with a reduction in their insurance premiums.

Baron said ConAgra doesn't belong to the National Business Group on Health, but the company has earned recognition as a silver member of the American Heart Association Start Fit Friendly companies.

Mutual of Omaha has participated in some of the National Business Group's initiatives in the past but not its lifestyles award program, said Peggy Rivedal, manager of health services at the insurance and banking company.

Mutual employees also qualify for a $10 monthly discount in the regular membership fees of Prairie Life Fitness, and they can pay their membership through payroll deduction.

Prairie Life has a new center near Mutual's headquarters at 32nd and Farnam Streets.

The company also initiated a weight-loss program late last year in which 448 employees participated. They lost a total of 19,379 pounds, spokeswoman Sephera Staley said.

“We've noticed a huge culture change that is impacting employees who aren't even participating,” Staley said.

Mutual of Omaha, ConAgra and Union Pacific also encourage healthy eating and activities by providing nutritional information for food served at their cafeterias, by daily health tips via intranet postings and other efforts.

At Union Pacific, 59-year-old Greg Romba said a heart attack in 2006 led him to the company's fitness center, where he lifts weights and runs.

He would find a way to exercise without the fitness center, Romba said, but he likes the convenience.

“This is absolutely fantastic.”

Contact the writer:

444-1117, joe.ruff@owh.com

« Money

Share