Cliffs Wins Gold for Workplace Wellness
June 17, 2009
TRAVELERS REST, SC – June 17, 2009 – Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA) has awarded The Cliffs Communities a national Well Workplace Award for its employee wellness program. Scoring 177 out of a possible 180 points, The Cliffs captured a gold-level Well Workplace designation and was one of only 19 companies across America, and only one of three in South Carolina, to be honored with a 2009 designation. See Well Workplace Award recipients and fact sheet.
Judging criteria for WELCOA Well Workplace Awards are rigorous and include measuring seven different benchmarks:
- Capturing CEO Support (Strong CEO level leadership)
- Creative Cohesive Wellness Teams (Engagement)
- Collecting Data to Drive Health Efforts
- Crafting an Operating Plan (Pathway to Success)
- Choosing Appropriate Interventions (Health Promotions)
- Creating a Supportive Environment
- Consistently Evaluating Outcomes
The Cliffs achieved a perfect score for its operating plan (No. 4) and nearly perfect scores for the remaining six benchmarks. Each participating employee realized an average annual savings of $421 in medical claims; 50% of employees considered at-risk for high cholesterol reduced their cholesterol levels and 30% considered at-risk for high blood pressure saw reductions in those levels. Twenty-five percent of overweight employees lost weight; and 30% of employees who smoked successfully reduced their tobacco use.
“We are humbled to be recognized by such an esteemed leader in workplace wellness,” said Tim Wiles, director of associate wellness for Sustainable Wellness Solutions, which manages The Cliffs Communities employee wellness program. “The WELCOA Award is among the top honors in this field and we feel that it reflects what we have been working diligently to grow and accomplish over the past several years – that of building an incredible network of support for our associates and their families.”
The Cliffs Associate Wellness Program offers a spectrum of engaging programs and support services to all part- and full-time employees of The Cliffs, as well as their families. More than 80% of The Cliffs employees opt to participate in a voluntary, incentivized year-long program called The Cliffs Challenge that reinforces the importance of exercise, nutrition and total wellness. The Cliffs employees receive free health screenings throughout the year and access to healthcare services via Preserve Health, a team-based family medical practice located at The Village at The Cliffs at Mountain Park. All employees are assigned a wellness coach. Engagement among employees has led to many individual successes and unique team-based efforts such as the creation of a Cliffs Wellness Cookbook of easy, healthy recipes; special wellness programs focused on being good stewards of the environment; and Cliffs Employee Outreach (CEO), a team-based philanthropy initiative that rewards employees for giving back to the community.
“We value the health of the total person – the mind, the body and the spirit. We seek to create the healthiest place to live, work and play in America by engaging our Members and Associates through world class healthcare, wellness programming, educational opportunities and uplifting experiences,” stated Jim Anthony, Founder and President of The Cliffs Communities, Inc. “The Cliffs culture is one focused on feeling younger and living with more zest.” Read The Cliffs Wellness Vision Statement for Employees.
The Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) was established as a national not-for-profit organization in the mid 1980s through the efforts of a number of forward-thinking business and health leaders. Drawing on the vision originally set forth by William Kizer, Sr., Chairman Emeritus of Central States Indemnity, and WELCOA founding Directors that included Dr. Louis Sullivan, former Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Warren Buffet, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, WELCOA has helped influence the face of workplace wellness in the U.S.
Today, WELCOA is one of the most respected resources for workplace wellness in America. With a membership in excess of 3,200 organizations, WELCOA is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of all working Americans. Located in America’s heartland, WELCOA makes its national headquarters in one of America’s healthiest business communities, Omaha, Neb.
About The Cliffs Communities
Founded in 1989 by Jim Anthony, The Cliffs Communities is devoted to the sensible development of residential communities and other properties within the United States and around the world. The Cliffs’ domestic properties include eight premier, private master-planned residential communities located in the heart of the Carolina Preserve near Asheville, N.C., and Greenville, S.C., collectively bordered by hundreds of thousands of acres of national forest and state parks in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Cliffs’ membership gives our Members the keys to all eight communities: being a Member of one community makes you a Member of all, including The Cliffs’ international vacation properties in British Columbia, Canada; Patagonia, Chile; and The Abacos, Bahamas. The Cliffs offers homesites from $200,000 to more than $3 million and custom homes from $700,000 to $5 million. To discover panoramic living at The Cliffs, call (877) 254-3371 or visit www.cliffscommunities.com.
