Workplace Wellness Award Announced

Wednesday, February 1, 2006

(The Business Monthly) -- The HCCC and The Horizon Foundation have joined to create Workplace Wellness, a recognition program that honors county employers for sponsoring practices that help their employees improve their physical health, reduce stress, address emotional and family concerns and protect their health and safety on the job.

The Workplace Wellness Award is open to any employer with an office in Howard County and is composed of three categories: Physical Health and Wellness, Psychological Health and Environmental Health. It will be awarded in the fall, with winners to be chosen based on a selection committee's evaluation of outcomes, such as percentage of employee participation, evidence of behavior changes and improvement in employee morale according to survey results.

The new program is intended to send a message to county employers that investing in health and wellness programs is a win-win scenario for companies and their workers. The foundation will award $2,500 prizes to businesses with the top-rated health and wellness programs in two divisions: those with 26 or more employees and those with 25 or fewer.

Information about the award, including ideas for wellness programs, resources available to help employers implement their own programs, rules and applications can be obtained online at www.howardchamber.com or by calling the office. Applications are due by June 30. Contact Anne Darr at 410-730-4111, ext. 105, or adarr@howardchamber.com for more information.

The legislative Session is full swing and the HCCC is working to ensure that your voice is heard in Annapolis and at the local level. During the next few months, the chamber will be sending out e-mails asking for your input on issues relative to the session.

Please respond to these e-mails, as they provide vital connections for us to be able to communicate the message of business with our elected officials.

Mark your calendar now for May 15 as the date for the Chamber Cup Classic at Turf Valley Resort and April 18 for the Business-to-Business Trade Show at Laurel Park. Check www.howardchamber.com for more details in the weeks to come.