Healthiest Award: A stress-free workforce is a healthy workforce

Signature Performance has created a healthy work environment that looks out for its associates’ well-being both physically and mentally.

The Omaha, Neb.-based company, which provides such services as claims processing and revenue cycle management, lives its mission to improve its clients’ businesses but also allocates resources to improve its staff’s lives, said Mark Mathia, chief of organizational development.

“How do I show up and lift people around me?” said Mathia, who has been with the company for six years and has worked in agency service providers for 26 years. “We want to leave a legacy we’re proud to leave our signature on.”

Signature has an attractive healthcare benefits package that’s offered after 60 days of employment. It covers 100% of medical and life insurance premiums and 75%-99% of dental and vision coverage premiums for both full- and part-time staff. It also pays 50%-74% of medical, dental and vision premiums for dependents.

The robust benefits package draws talent, but Signature Performance has packed its house with highly motivated performers, Mathia said. It’s a strength but also one of the “greatest threats” to both the company’s and individual’s health.

“How do we keep them productive but not burned out?” Mathia said. “We want them to perform well; they can get more work done quicker when they’re doing their strengths.”

In-house focus groups called Associate Resource Groups allow employees to tackle specific issues and increase productivity. It’s a great opportunity to find an individual’s talents and for employees to take a leadership role, Mathia said. Signature Performance then helps staff enhance skills and talents through continuous training and workshops so they can work more efficiently, eliminating wasted hours and stress, he added.

One of the focus groups is dedicated strictly to wellness and has implemented a daily 10-minute walk and five-minute stretch breaks twice a day during business hours.

Signature Performance employees have numerous programs outside the office to promote a healthy lifestyle, too, such as a free weight-loss program, which includes “Real Appeal,” a telemedicine service where they set goals with a weight-loss coach.

But someone trying to lose weight is a private, sensitive matter, so it’s 100% confidential, Mathia said.

Signature Performance also offers an employee assistance program to help with a variety of issues, including assistance with obtaining mental health services.

Stress is always a threat to an individual’s well-being, which is why Melissa Memorial Hospital in Holyoke, Colo., takes several measures to address it.

The hospital has a culture committee that conducts regular stress surveys to figure out what staff members are stressed about. Afterward, management analyzes the results to see how they can improve the conditions, according to CEO Trampas Hutches.

MMH management also wanted to provide its staff with self-improvement outlets. Starting in 2019, staff became eligible for a major discount at a local gym, Holyoke Fitness Club, at just $10 a month for a full-membership. A third of the hospital’s staff has taken advantage of the deal and it isn’t just restricted to weights and cardio machines; wellness programs and classes like yoga and spin are also included.

“The staff love it,” and management has received “very positive feedback” on the program, Hutches said. Not only is it investing in employee well-being, it’s investing in the community’s well-being, he added.

But there are occasions where an individual really needs to blow off steam, which calls for livelier or even destructive activities. During an employee evacuation course, the local fire department donated an extraction practice car earlier this year, and hospital staff learned how to safely use a sledge hammer. Every staff member got a whack at the car, seeing how much damage they could inflict.

“Certain people were more aggressive than I thought they would be,” Hutches laughed. “That was good stress relief.”

MMH also offers a generous healthcare benefits package. Both full- and part-time staff are eligible for benefits on the first day of the next month after hire, which includes 100% coverage of medical, dental and vision premiums and 25%-49% for dependents. Staff also receive 100% coverage for both long-term care and life insurance premiums.

Management wants to build a fun and engaging atmosphere, too, so along with celebrating every birthday, MMH holds out-of-the-box team-building exercises like online escape rooms. The fastest team to escape wins. They’re fun, create bonds between co-workers and relieve stress, Hutches said.

“We have our ups and downs like everyone else, but we don’t let problems lie,” Hutches said. “We progress and move to help everyone work to their fullest potential.”

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