by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
With more than 27,000 employees in the Transportation Division alone and 35,000 in total, CSX Corp. has a major stake in employee wellness. The company took steps to really get on track with the issue three years ago and has since invested in a corporate-wide program as well as a state-of-the-art facility at the headquarters in Jacksonville.
CSX Director of Health & Wellness Kenneth Glover said the first step was to identify health issues facing the employee population. A pilot program was developed and more than 6,000 workers in 23 states were tested to determine levels of cholesterol, blood glucose and body mass index. The results identified three common health issues: obesity and cardiac and pulmonary disease.
The next step was to develop and implement programs that would help CSX employees manage their health and show them ways to improve it through lifestyle changes. Based on the results of the screenings and the feedback from employees, the company decided to take a unique approach when it came to hiring its staff of health professionals.
“When we hired our 16 wellness coordinators, we didn’t go the conventional route with nurses. The staff is made up of exercise physiologists and dietitians. They are clinical health educators which makes us more proactive. That allows us to promote a combination of physical activity and good eating habits,” said Glover.
He also said while the common health issues faced by CSX employees are the same ones facing the majority of the country’s population, there have been a few surprises.
“We were amazed at how many people were interested in learning ways to improve their diet. So many of our employees do shift work or they travel a lot so they told us they needed help with meal planning. People have changed in the past several years and have become more aware of health issues,” said Glover.
CSX has also taken a unique approach to provide wellness opportunities to employees at corporate headquarters. It’s the home of a 10,000 square-foot fitness facility that also includes some of the same metabolic research and analysis equipment used by U.S. Olympic Teams and the National Football League.
“I have worked for many Fortune 500 companies as a contractor, but I have never seen a fitness center like the one we have here at CSX. The company has been totally supportive in providing the best opportunities for its employees to improve the quality of their lives,” said Glover.
The program hasn’t been in place long enough to yield any long-term statistical data, but Glover said based on studies that have been conducted by other companies and the federal government for years, he’s confident the investment in employee health will yield great returns for the employees and for the company.
“It’s generally accepted that for every dollar invested in improving employee health, there is a $3 return, but we expect to do much better than that here,” he said.
The Jacksonville Electric Authority’s employee wellness initiatives were the subject of a report presented in May at the American Heart Association’s 8th Scientific Forum on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research in Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke.
During a study of 2,100 workers from 2004-06, JEA employees who participated in the work site health program improved blood pressure control by 9 percent and diabetes control by 15 percent. Researchers also found that absenteeism also declined significantly. The number of employees who missed work due to hypertension dropped from 25.8 percent to 15.6 percent and those who missed work with diabetes issues dropped by 66.2 percent, from 50 percent to 16.9 percent.
The health programs, including blood test screenings and advice on how to make lifestyle changes to improve health and fitness, also resulted in the increase in the percentage of employees with normal blood pressure from 28 percent to 37 percent. Employees with normal blood glucose levels also improved from 43 percent to 58 percent.
JEA’s Health Promotion Specialist Sharon Clark, D.H.Sc., said while she is sure having healthier employees improves the financial health of the utility as well, “It’s hard to put a dollar value on health savings. It would be hard to quantify but based on the number of people we have referred to doctors after the screenings, we know we have saved lives as well as productivity. It’s more about the company showing employees it is committed to them by being involved in their personal health.”
Promoting employee health and wellness is one aspect of the corporate culture that never takes a vacation.
Clark said at JEA’s Downtown headquarters, the Northside Generating Station and St. Johns River Power Park there are health-risk screenings conducted every three months in addition to ultra-sound screenings to detect thyroid conditions and a series of “Lunchtime Learnings” when employees at the three centers gather during the day to learn about health issues and lifestyle improvement.
“And since it’s getting close to winter we’re currently planning our annual 16 days of offering flu shots,” she added.