There is a trickle-down effect when businesses pursue the health, safety, and well-being of their employees. Fiore & Sons is acutely aware of this effect, and thanks to their participation in Health Links™, they’re seeing results and reaping the rewards from new and revived health and safety initiatives.
The health and safety of employees is a topic of high concern in the construction industry. The work presents many physical dangers and is physically and emotionally demanding, often leaving employees too tired to pursue their health and well-being after they’ve clocked out. Due to standard construction work hours and the afore-mentioned fatigue, employees also struggle to find time to make regular health/medical appointments for themselves.
In partnership with Health Links, Fiore & Sons owner David Fiore championed efforts to better address employee health, safety, and well-being by reviving the company’s safety programs. Fiore & Sons now holds weekly safety meetings to discuss timely safety hazards such as icy roads that create dangers for drivers, time changes that affect visibility, among other safety topics of concern to their industry. As a result of these meetings, workers' compensation claims and costs have reduced along with reports of near misses.
But Fiore & Sons needed to go beyond worker’s comp and safety issues and consider the health and well-being of their employees company-wide. After reviewing their Healthy Workplace Assessment™ scores and setting goals with their Health Links advisor, Fiore & Sons decided to work on engagement. The company instituted a “Wellness Day,” granting every employee a full, paid 8-hour day to schedule their medical appointments (annual check-ups with a primary care provider, dental and vision appointments, etc.). On top of that, Fiore & Sons covers 100% of employee healthcare and dental premiums for employees and their families. The company has also established a unique partnership with Paladina Health Clinics, where employees and their families can receive medical treatment and care from any Paladina clinic in the Denver metro area without paying a copay. The result of the combination of these programs has been an increase in overall health and well-being and a significant decrease in the absences of employees. The programs and benefits demonstrate Fiore & Sons’ dedication to improving the health of its employees and their families, which has led to an increase in retention.
Fiore & Sons isn’t just keeping their success in health and safety to themselves. They’ve shared their well-being initiatives with other companies and encouraged them to consider the benefits they offer employees and their families. According to Hector Eternod, Human Resources Manager at Fiore & Sons, none of this would have been possible without the participation, effort, and commitment of company and department leaders. He recommends businesses start small—you don’t need a big budget to see real change in your health and safety programs. Even with small goals, Hector advises that organizations “Go in all the way. If you only go halfway, you’ll get halfway results. This implies making some investments. Giving employees time off to do their physicals can mean one day of absence, but one day of absence is better than five days of illness.”
Thanks to their partnership with Health Links, Fiore & Sons has not only revived, but significantly expanded their health, safety, and well-being initiatives, including instituting a Wellness Committee that meets monthly. According to Hector, “Any organization that is open to participating in the well-being of their employees would find Health Links to be a great partner in doing so.”
Written by Laura Veith, Marketing & Communications Coordinator for Health Links and the Center for Health, Work & Environment based at the Colorado School of Public Health.
© 2018 Health Links
