Leominster Credit Union recently held its 8th annual employee Health & Wellness Fair. More than fourteen vendors and health service professionals were on hand to provide employees with nutritional information, healthy snacks, massages, Reiki, personalized retirement account reviews and more. Medical professionals were on site to evaluate chiropractic spine issues and assess sun damage, as well as provide biometric screenings for blood pressure, blood glucose and body mass index. Representatives from some of the Credit Union’s group benefit programs including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Comprehensive EAP and New England College of Business spoke with employees about available services.
“LCU is committed to supporting a culture of wellness at the Credit Union. The health and success of our employees goes hand in hand with that of our business,” said Kathy Hurley, Human Resources Manager and Wellness Fair coordinator. “Each year, Human Resources works diligently to provide employees with a competitive and affordable benefits package, and wellness is now included in that process.”
A new twist to this year’s event was a drawing activity lead by a local artist. Using a technique developed by Alexander Calder, employees were encouraged to do “portraits” of one another. “This light-hearted activity gave employees a chance to relax and have a good laugh with one another,” said Hurley. “In addition to being a fun activity, it also helped to relieve stress.”
According to Hurley, in addition to the annual on-site Wellness Fair, LCU organizes other wellness related activities throughout the year. Individuals and teams compete in challenges that encourage employees to track physical activity, support each other’s healthy weight loss efforts and adopt behaviors that are known to help lower stress and maintain a heart-healthy blood pressure. Most recently the employees participated in the “30 days of Gratitude” challenge where employees started each day by writing down something they were grateful for. Participants in the challenges are eligible for wellness reimbursement benefits as well as awards, raffles and prizes. In 2017, this program paid close to $38,000 to participating employees.
