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Reaching New Heights, The Healthy Way

Khyneesha Edwards Uncategorized Leave a Comment

For many in the workforce, choosing between work, family, social activities and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a dilemma that’s all too familiar. More often than not, employees find themselves sacrificing their health to keep up with other important aspects of their lives. Fortunately, at Aspen, our employees are encouraged to put their health first, provided with multiple opportunities to do so, and rewarded as a result.

We are incredibly proud to have been recognized by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce for our healthy workplace efforts. Just last year we were lucky enough to receive an honorable mention in their Healthy KC program, and this year we’ve been awarded the highest honor, the Platinum Award. We’ve come a long way in a year’s time, and we’re just getting started.

At Aspen, we believe that encouraging a healthy lifestyle goes beyond offering employees standard health benefits. Over the years we’ve created fun, relative and engaging initiatives to get our team excited about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We believe our commitment to supporting health and wellness across Healthy KC’s Five Pillars of Health has boosted our employees’ attitude toward improving their well-being.

Nutrition

During a long day of work, eating can often be a huge stress reliever and energy booster. We encourage our employees to make healthy choices by hosting events with nourishing food options. Within this past year our Health & Wellness committee hosted a healthy soup cook off, where employees were invited to cook up their favorite soup recipes to share in the office and be voted on. This summer we enjoyed a salad bar and smoothie bar, complete with the yummiest variety of fresh fruits and veggies.

Physical Activity

Who said exercise can’t be fun? We get the Aspen team active by incorporating the best team-oriented physical activities into our workday – sports, of course! We enjoyed a friendly March Madness competition by shooting a few hoops each Friday in March in our parking lot (we may or may not have lowered the goal, shhh!). In June we grabbed our bats and embarked on a month-long baseball competition. Not only did these activities encourage team-bonding, but they got our team members away from their desks and outside in the fresh air. In August we brought the fun indoors with a friendly bowling game.

Tobacco Cessation

We highly encourage employees against tobacco use and reward them for doing do. As a result of choosing not to smoke, our employees earn points each month, which can be cashed in for Aspen gear and other cool prizes from our Employee Rewards Program. In November Aspen will participate in the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, encouraging our employees to use this day as a start to leading a tobacco-free life.

Work-Life Integration

We understand that each person’s idea of home, family and work may look different. As a result, we offer flexible options for our employees, so that they’ll perform their best. Some of our employees work from home part-time, and it’s not uncommon to find an Aspen sprout running around the office, keeping us all on our toes, because who doesn’t love kiddos, right?!

This year our team enjoyed a presentation from a local health clinic complete with tips on how to manage stress in the workplace and in their daily lives, as the two often influence each other and go hand in hand. Our Health & Wellness committee is committed to educating our employees on stress, mental wellness and other work-life topics through weekly emails with information and resources.

Design & Built Environment

To promote ergonomics, we purchased computer monitors with flexible viewing options for maximum comfort during use. We also provide our team with ball computer seats to combat lower back problems, enable better posture and allow continual movement.

Our work spaces are flexible and change pretty often as our team expands and needs change. It’s not uncommon to find desks moved around for better lighting, room flow, etc. We support our team in these changes, as they influence productivity and employee relations.

We are honored to receive this honor from the Kansas City Chamber and we are looking forward to strengthening our approach to health and wellness moving forward. Our goal is to make wellness a priority and a possibility for all our employees.

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