Weatherby Healthcare: 'Healthiest Award' winner for suppliers

At staffing company Weatherby Healthcare, employees spend a lot of time getting doctors, nurses and other professionals placed at medical facilities that need the help.

Something Weatherby's employees don't spend a lot of time on is figuring out how to get themselves to a healthcare facility.

That's because they can go to the Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based company's on-site clinic, where nurses care for employees—and their families. They also don't need to join a gym; there's one of those at the office, too. There are even yoga classes in the office. And the company tries to make fitness fun, sponsoring a Rock Your Body contest, where employees compete on weight loss and fitness goals.

While there is a definite culture around physical health at Weatherby, a subsidiary of Salt Lake City-based CHG Healthcare Services, the goal is more holistic, said Weatherby President Bill Heller.

“It's not only about helping people make good choices, like going to the health clinic and the gym. It's also about having people happy when they come to work,” Heller said. “That makes for a more productive workforce.”

Weatherby is the winner of Modern Healthcare's inaugural Healthiest Award for suppliers, which recognizes employers that promote wellness within their workforce through access to fitness programs and facilities, the structure of the organization's benefits plan, and a culture that promotes a healthy work-life balance. It ranks No. 10 overall on Modern Healthcare's list of Best Places to Work in Healthcare.

The company is also proud of the culture of having fun at work. Heller says it's not that unusual to see someone riding a scooter down a hallway. “You might even see someone in a chicken suit,” he said. It's part of making sure that while employees work hard, they don't let work consume them.

“We really encourage work-life balance,” Heller said. “So that people can take care of themselves—mind and body.”