Health Links (HL): Why is the health and wellness of your employees important to you?

Denver Relief (DR): With dozens of businesses under our umbrella, it would have been impossible for us to get here without happy, reliable support staff members. Healthy employees are the key to creating that. Whether it be through work safety, an encouraging environment, competitive wages, benefits (health and retirement) or engaged and active community projects, we can empower the people who are crucial to finding success in any growing business.

HL: How will you/do you know your program is successful?

DR: Our employees tell us they appreciate the efforts we've made to create a fun, educational and creative place to work. Part of being healthy is doing what you enjoy. We do well to identify people's strengths and put them in a position to succeed and improve their quality of life. I've (Kayvan S.T. Khalatbari) watched delivery drivers at my pizzeria and my cannabis dispensary end up as general managers because of a desire to always be improving, something we are vocal about striving for.

HL: What obstacles did you have to overcome to get your program started? How did you overcome them?

DR: Costs. We have been bootstrapped and resources aren't always readily available. But if you can show people you care and chip away at your initiatives as money and time allows, they will support you and be more willing to grow with you. We’ve overcome these obstacles by finding inexpensive or free ways to bond and grow together until the money was there to accomplish what we really wanted to, by offering health insurance, retirements plans, gym memberships, etc.  Sports/yoga/exercise, group volunteer events and other collaborative projects allow people to feel more like a family and work together better. If people are happy at work they've gone a long way to being happy in life.

HL: Do you incorporate safety along with your wellness program? If so, what does this look like?

DR: Without a doubt. Safety awareness is in the proper training for all employees engaging in potentially dangerous tasks, the implementation of strict organization and sanitation policies, formal processes and an open dialogue about any problem that arises the minute it does. Maintenance of equipment and tools and incident management can't go without attention either.

HL: What tip/advice would you give to a business that is considering starting a workplace wellness program?

DR: Ask your employees what they want and need to be happy and healthy.  Encourage them to participate in the creation of company initiatives that they can feel good about being a part of. Ultimately, always keep an open, honest and transparent dialogue with your employees and be an encouraging leader.