Posted by Heidi Schwartz
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has been recognized as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite by the American Heart Association (AHA) for helping employees eat better and move more. The Fit-Friendly Worksites program is a catalyst for positive change in the American workforce, helping make employee health and wellness a priority.
“Physical activity and employee wellness are important priorities at McCarthy, and we are honored and excited to be recognized again by the American Heart Association as a Platinum-Level Fit-Friendly Worksite,” said Derek Glanvill, McCarthy president and chief operating officer. “As an employee-owned company, we’re committed to providing the best workplace possible. This will benefit our employees’ health, the health of family members, and ultimately produce even more positive results for our company overall.”
Platinum-level employers:
- Offer employees physical activity options in the workplace
- Increase healthy eating options at the worksite
- Promote a wellness culture in the workplace
- Implement at least nine criteria outlined by the American Heart Association in the areas of physical activity, nutrition and culture
- Demonstrate measurable outcomes related to workplace wellness
American employers are losing an estimated $225.8 billion a year because of healthcare expenses and health-related losses in productivity, and those numbers are rising. Many American adults spend most of their waking hours at sedentary jobs. Their lack of regular physical activity raises their risk for a host of medical problems, such as obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. Employers face $12.7 billion in annual medical expenses due to obesity alone. The American Heart Association is working to change corporate cultures by motivating employees to start walking, which has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity.
“The Fit-Friendly Worksites Program offers an easy-to-implement opportunity for corporations to increase employees’ physical activity, which will help improve their health—and their employers’ bottom line,” said Tracy Brazelton, AHA executive director in St. Louis. “Even people who haven’t exercised regularly until middle age can reap significant benefits by starting a walking program. A study published in 1986 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that some adults may gain two hours of life expectancy for every hour of regular, vigorous exercise they performed.”
