Taking care of employees’ health: MileOne takes it to the next level
Taking care of your employees is a bedrock principle for any successful company. Employees today expect more than paid vacation time, health insurance, and a 401(k) plan from their benefits package. Supporting employees’ well-being and focusing on issues that matter to them is increasingly becoming necessary to attract and retain good talent.
At MileOne Autogroup, the largest automotive sales and service delivery network in the Mid-Atlantic region, its wellness programs include social, physical, emotional and financial health, and Chief Human Resource Officer “G” Mossanen says that employees’ financial health is an important focus.
Beyond offering a 401(k) plan, MileOne invests in employees’ futures and retirement in other ways.
“We launched a high yield savings account, which is another way for them to be able to invest in short-term planning. We also recognize that sometimes they may go through a financial crisis with an unexpected hardship, and we want to support them through those times, so we developed the MileOne Support Fund. Our employees donate to this particular fund, and if any of them go through a financial crisis, they can apply for the Support Fund. Since its inception, we’ve provided $465,000 in support,” Mossanen says.
Companies also realize that supporting employees also extends to their families, which is why MileOne offers the MileOne Scholarship program not only for employees but also their family members. Employees and family members can earn up to $2,500 each year for four years to further their education at an accredited college. Since its inception, MileOne has given over $2 million away in scholarships.
In addition to financial health, MileOne launched an employee assistance program with an organization called Revive and Thrive in order to develop the right emotional health programs and resources. “We also launched other programs such as Hinge Health, a virtual physical therapy app, and Noom, which is a cognitive behavioral way to manage weight loss,” says Mossanen.
Mossanen says that turnover in the car sales business is generally high, but MileOne prides itself on the tenure that it has with its employees and the loyalty that they have provided to the organization.
“We developed a milestone recognition program, and every year we have the milestone luncheon where we bring in our milestone recipients to celebrate them. We have found that 44% of our employees have been with us five years or more, and 25% have been with us 10 years or more,” Mossanen notes.
One of the reasons Mossanen credits for employee retention is the recognition that employees value a company’s philanthropic endeavors. “They want to volunteer and participate by giving back to the community, so we started the employee nominated grant where a nonprofit that matters to them will receive a donation from MileOne on the employees’ behalf. Last year, we gave out about $300,000 to these organizations that matter to our employees. Our goal is to create a work environment where our people can grow, thrive and have a strong sense of belonging.”
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Wellness programs boost productivity. How Kelly Benefits supports the entire person.
It’s an understatement to say that Frank Kelly III, CEO of Kelly Benefits, is “all in” on promoting wellness at his company, which is one of the nation’s largest providers of benefits administration and technology, broker and consulting services, and payroll solutions.
“We want a culture that’s healthy, vibrant and alive because we believe that an employee who’s coming from a healthy home life is going to do better work than one who’s not. We are very intentional with some of our wellness initiatives to support the entire family,” Kelly says. “I tell our people, if you’re here past 6 p.m. four nights a week, something’s not right. We want to create a culture where if your kid has a game or play, that’s where you should be.”
Beyond physical wellness
While many companies give incentives to encourage physical wellness, like smoking cessation classes, discounts to gyms, and company-sponsored walking clubs, more and more businesses are recognizing that employees today are drawn to workplaces where wellness initiatives extend beyond physical health.
Kelly explains that his firm offers emotional wellness through an employee assistance program; financial wellness in areas such as budgeting classes; spiritual wellness with two corporate chaplains available for counseling; and physical and nutritional wellness.
“We bring in experts in the areas of nutrition, diet, and exercise, and we have an incredible onsite fitness facility, plus an outside walking trail. Every employee has 24/7/365, access to our gym. I encourage people that if you have a meeting, instead of going to a conference room, have a walk and talk meeting,” he says.
Listening to your employees
Some of the most successful businesses are those that deliberately listen to their employees and encourage feedback. It’s easy when you are a C-suite professional to lose track of what the average employee is looking for at work.
Kelly Benefits does an annual engagement survey to do just that.
“That’s where you learn because no one’s perfect, and sometimes we’re blind. For example, Covid was so hard for everyone. We went from nearly 450 employees here every day to 25 onsite essential employees. People working remotely were lonely and depressed, and that’s what led us to a virtual chaplain,” he recalls. “I think we have to be open to what’s happening in our culture and how we can respond. We don’t get it perfect, but we try to be aware, try to be responsive, try to be proactive.”
Kelly sees a direct correlation between offering wellness programs and productivity.
“These wellness programs, some of them cost money, so it is a financial investment, but we look at it as an investment in our people because if they’re healthy and well, they’re going to be better employees, too. It’s a win, win.