By Sara Nahrwold
The American Heart Association recognized Ball State for its commitment to employee health with a gold level fit-friendly worksite award.
Employers are recognized “who champion the health of their employees and work to create a culture of physical activity and health in the workplace,” according to the American Heart Association website.
Rhonda Murr, director of health enhancement programs at Ball State, applied for the award through an online application.
“I just really think it shows that our hard work and commitment toward leading and offering employees healthy culture and healthy lifestyle in the workplace,” she said.
The university has several initiatives to aid in the health of employees such as on-site fitness facilities, chronic disease self-management classes, health-risk appraisals, biometric screenings and walking clubs.
These initiatives are what sets Ball State apart from other employers, said Marie Williams, associate vice president for human resources and administrator services.
“We understand that the workplace environment has a big impact on employee health so having our employees heavily engaged and invested in creating a positive and healthy workplace has been a major key in setting ourselves apart from other employers in terms of wellness,” Williams said. “We believe that the key to the success of our wellness initiative relates to our focus commitment to creating a cultured work environment that emphasizes health and wellness for our employees, their families and our local community.”
The offers that the university provides for employees, such as insurance discounts, are also important for the health of the university, Murr said.
“We do offer premium discounts on our insurance, which some employers do not do,” she said. “We also offer the incentive program where people can get some money back or put it toward other incentives that they use.”
In addition to the initiatives, having a person in charge of the program also sets apart Ball State as an employer.
The working well program has been in place for five years, and the university will continue to invest in the program.
Receiving this award is important for Ball State as an employer in leading its 3,025 full-time employees to a healthier lifestyle, Williams said.
“It all goes back to the mission and the vision that we have here in regards to creating that campus culture that encourages employees and their families to lead that healthy lifestyle and that bottom line of optimizing health care resources,” Murr said. “In turn, if we have healthier people, healthier employees, we have a healthier culture and research shows that leads to healthier, lower health insurance rates.”
The program has had as much as a 78 percent utilization rate during the past five years, she said. The number of employees who have participated has increased as well.
“Employees become more concerned about their health, and they do want to try and change their behavior. And we can help offer that work, life balance,” Murr said.
The award is an important accomplishment for the university to be recognized for its commitment to providing healthy opportunities to employees.
“We are delighted that this recognition not only exemplifies Ball State as a rising leader in wellness initiatives in higher education, but it also reinforces the dedication and passion of our employees and their families to pursue a healthy lifestyle,” Williams said.
