Novi Times

Oakland Schools issued the following announcement on Sept 29.

For the third year in a row, Oakland Schools will receive the National Association for Business Resources’ (NABR) Michigan’s 2021 Best and Brightest in Wellness award. Oakland Schools is one of 93 companies in the state to win this honor.

The Best and Brightest in Wellness award is given to organizations that promote a culture of wellness for employees by planning and implementing efforts which make their business a healthier place.

“Well-being has always been a top priority for Oakland Schools, but this past year, during the pandemic, it became even more important,” said Oakland Schools’ Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Dandridge Floyd. “We are focused on programming that helps not just with physical wellness, but social/emotional wellness, also.”  

This past year, Oakland Schools:

• started a new program with the American Institute of Preventive Medicine and launched an online portal which provides easier access to wellness information and program motivation.
• conducted quarterly well-being challenges, such as asking staff to send in vacation photos, which were then put in a video and shared with all employees, increasing comradery.
• offered several resources, such as access to a free HeadSpace App, a program geared toward social/emotional wellness.

Additionally, Oakland Schools has implemented many wellness programs over the past few years, including:

• providing a Healthy Living HMO plan which offers a free, quit smoking program and access to free Weight Watchers classes or a Fitbit.
• allowing up to four hours of sick leave reimbursement for annual preventive health exams and screenings, as well as sick leave reimbursement for employees to receive their COVID-19 vaccination.
• offering Fit Friendly Workplace items such as standing desks, stability ball chairs, under desk elliptical trainers, under desk bikes and treadmills.
• offering a Lunch and Learn series to help educate employees about many health topics, including stress busters and meal preparation.

As a result of these and many other measures, Oakland Schools’ health plans received a 3% renewal for 2022 which is significant given that national trends are closer to 7.3%.

About the Best and Brightest in Wellness® Program

The Best and Brightest in Wellness®, a program of the National Association for Business Resources, celebrates those companies that are making their businesses flourish, the lives of their employees better and the community a healthier place to live. The Best and Brightest program provides year-long education, benchmarking, assessment tools and interaction amongst the best employers. Visit www.thebestandbrightest.com for more information.

Original source can be found here.