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| Volume 2, Issue 5 |
2008 California FIT Business Awards Launched State Task Force to Recognize Innovations for Healthy Workplaces
California employers will have an opportunity to share business models that promote healthy workplaces as part of the state’s overall solution to curbing an estimated $28 billion a year in lost productivity, workers’ compensation and medical costs associated with obesity issues in working adults. Currently, over 51% of adults in California are overweight or obese -- one of the fastest rates of increase in obesity in the nation.
Senator Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch) and the California Task Force on Youth and Workplace Wellness announced the launch of the 2008 California Fit Business Awards. The annual awards program was first launched in 2003 to public, private and non-profit companies across California seeking to recognize innovations for healthier workplace environments.
Interested employers and human resource personnel are encouraged to visit the Task Force website at www.wellnesstaskforce.org for more information on the 2008 Fit Business Awards and to download an application. All applications must be postmarked before June 16, 2008.
In 2007, more than 80 California companies were recognized by the Task Force for their exemplary work in applying innovative workplace wellness policies and programs. These included gold winners: Cisco Systems, Inc., Sandia National Laboratories, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), David Volz Design Landscape Architects, Inc., American Apparel and USAA. Among the innovations implemented by last year’s award winners were healthy food options in the cafeteria, vending machines, and at meetings; nutrition education; on-site fitness evaluations and free fitness classes; physical activity breaks; and reimbursement for wellness and fitness-related services such as gym memberships.
The need for healthier workplaces in California is clear. According to the California Department of Health Services, physical inactivity, obesity and other health-related problems cost California businesses an estimated $28 billion a year. Therefore, employers are uniquely positioned to care about and promote the health of their employees. The Fit Business Awards seek to increase awareness among employers throughout the state by promoting the positive connection of employee health to the financial bottom line.
“Each year the Fit Business Awards honors California’s employers who recognize the value of a fit and healthy workplace,” said Torlakson, founder and Task Force Chair. “We hope that more and more California business will see the benefits of investing in the wellness of their workers and implement programs that promote healthier lifestyles.”
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