Working out

Eni's Gene Raymondi on a wellness initiative that improved the health of both a company and its employees.

In January 2008, eni launched an in-depth wellness program designed to suit the needs of large business clients. The flagship program included a Fortune 500 leading provider of payroll and human resource services with more than 12,000 employees in more than 120 branch locations across the nation. 

By designing a customized, highly interactive wellness program, eni helped their client achieve amazing results. Participation levels exceeded 85 percent, a stellar figure compared to the average of 30 percent participation for wellness programs nationally. And while employees benefited personally from a successful wellness program, the company received relevant, actionable data to help reduce the costs of health care, absenteeism and other modifiable factors.

The program began with a close collaboration between the eni team and members of their client's staff to develop a program that would meet specific corporate goals while energizing and engaging employees as individuals.

An incentive program spurred participation with genuinely valuable rewards, such as eligibility for lower healthcare deductibles and a points system that involved monetary rewards for higher-level participation.

The minimum requirement for participation was the completion of three steps: a blood screening event, an online Health Risk Assessment questionnaire, and a commitment to being a non-smoker or to signing up for a smoking cessation program sponsored by the company.

The program placed priority on helping each individual become more aware and active in pursuing a healthier way of life. All participants could access lessons, articles and resources through their individualized web portal, as well as receive live assistance from health professionals, including their health coaches and personal wellness coordinators.

The points tracker system was a key element that put employees in control of their own personal wellness programs. By logging on to a password-protected, personalized wellness homepage, participants were able to track their health related efforts and to earn points throughout the year. They earned points for a wide variety of activities, from staying up-to-date with appropriate medical screenings and attending health and wellness seminars to working out on their own and meeting other fitness goals. Employees earned monetary rewards based on their level of participation. 

More than 85 percent of all employees participated in the program to some extent, with more than 75 percent completing all three of the minimum requirements. The results demonstrate an exceptional response compared with typical corporate wellness programs that can generally expect to involve no more than 30 percent of their population with traditional wellness offerings.

In addition to the great participation rates, the company was also able to accumulate aggregate data on specific risk areas for their population at large. Furthermore, eni was able to identify modifiable risk factors that most affected employees and focus programming to target topics that were of greatest concern.

The company also experienced an unexpected result from the concentrated focus on a wellness program: a marked increase in EAP participation. The wellness program increased employees' awareness of their existing personal assistant and clinical care management benefits, which eni also provides. These services help to round out the wellness benefit. Engaging these offerings helps to decrease work/life-balance-related stress and promotes emotional wellbeing - important aspects that fall under the umbrella of a holistic wellness approach.

The keys to the success of this program were highly individualized service, excellent promotion and a high level of management involvement. Throughout the year, there was extensive promotion to make the program very visible to the employees and encourage their involvement. Wellness Coordinators were readily available to assist with questions, via both phone and e-mail, and HR representatives and frontline managers became informed and supportive advocates of the program.

Employee response was overwhelming; positive feedback poured in from all over the country from employees who were excited about the new wellness initiative. There was a wide range of positive feedback with many expressing appreciation that their employer was concerned about their health and wellbeing. Others noted that the program stimulated an awareness of previously unidentified health risks that they will now be able to address. 

Gene Raymondi is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of eni. Over the past 25 years, Raymondi earned his reputation as an innovative leader and active pioneer in behavioral health delivery systems. He continues to create dynamic EAP, Wellness and work/life solutions that maximize employee engagement, wellbeing and productivity within large organizations across the nation.