Reshaping Mind, Body and Soul: Healthy Initiatives Offered At Quad Graphics

For years, the large Quad Graphics plant hidden behind the Geyser Road Elementary School would be visible during my daily running or biking routine on Adams Road. However, I was never fully aware of the extensive Wellness Program they offer their employees and families since nearly inception of the site. After having had the pleasure of speaking with some of it’s employees, who have WOWed me with the immense and extensive Wellness facility and operation, it is obvious that Quad Graphics is a state of the art place to work. Quad Graphics has been a leading employer and provider of print and multichannel solutions for consumer magazines, special interest publications and directories with plants in various locations in North America, Latin America and Europe. Their local site in Saratoga Springs has been around for the last two decades, and for almost the entire time, there has been a wellness center on site. This center has improved drastically over the years and has kept up with the times in providing it’s employees, their spouses and dependents a 24-hour state of the art Wellness Center with the goal of keeping their employees happy and healthy. The motto that backs up their success is: If the employees are healthy, the result is a better product and satisfied customer. Out of their nearly 750 employees, approximately half take advantage of using the Wellness Center, plus those that use the extensive marked trails for outdoor workouts. From my experience, this is a significant number utilizing the wellness resources offered. In addition to the 24-hour access, there is partial access to the center for retired employees, visiting employees, customers and vendors. I spoke with Sarah Currier, Fitness Coordinator at Quad Graphics, who took pride in explaining the extensive list of services that are offered through the fitness center. In addition to running the “gym”, Sarah provides personal training on a one on one, and group classes such as Zumba, Kickboxing and Boot Camps. She holds routine monthly health promotions with incentives and cash prizes. These could include educational tools, free training packages, or points for living a more healthy life, such as including more fruits and vegetables in the diet. These points add up and at the end of the year any participating employee and spouse can each earn a $250 reward for embracing a healthier lifestyle. The company also offers a Tele-health Service in which its employees have the added benefit of utilizing a regional dietitian and wellness coach. As a dietitian, fitness trainer and health coach for area corporations, I know these efforts reap huge benefits to the employee and family, as well as the benefits shown to the employer. A recent Harvard study on workplace wellness found that medical costs fall about $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs, and absentee day costs fall by about $2.73 for every dollar spent. This average return on investment suggests that such programs can prove beneficial for budgets and productivity as well as the more obvious health and happiness of the employee, their significant other, their dependent(s) and certainly adds to the satisfaction of the customer via a better product and a high standard of customer service. If you are a business, corporation, or non-profit organization and have some news you would like to share, I welcome the information. We are, after all, working together to create one of the healthiest areas in the world! Don’t forget March 12th is National Registered Dietitian’s Day! Before using a nutritionist, I encourage you to first find out that he or she is a Registered Dietitian (RD) and a Certified Dietitian Nutritionist (CDN) to accept insurance claims in NYS. Monique Boulet RD, CDN,CPT organiquebymonique.com (518) 312-6309 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.