HANAMAULU — First, there was a drum roll. Then whoops and shouts. And finally, applause and victory cries when Courtyard by Marriott Kauai at Coconut Beach was named the winner of the 2018 Get Fit Kauai 2018 Worksite Wellness Challenge.
“Val is awesome,” someone shouted in reference to team coach, Valerie Saiki.
“Chicken skin, I’m so excited for them,” Saiki said. “They actually worked really, really hard. Once we started our monthly meetings and really rolled into the process, it was something they really wanted. I could see the fire in their eyes. ‘Let’s go for it, we could actually win.’”
The Courtyard by Marriott topped 15 teams in the nine-month competition that’s designed to “encourage businesses to implement healthy practices in the workplace and to create sustainable wellness policies and environmental changes that focus on nutritional and physical activity improvements.”
Second went to Kauai Coffee and third to the Kauai District Health Office. About 75 people attended the awards breakfast at the Aqua Kauai Beach Resort Friday morning.
Bev Brody, Get Fit Kauai director, was pleased that all 15 teams finished what they started, and all raised their scores.
“Because of this program people are working in a healthier work environment,” she said.
The challenge started with a kickoff breakfast in February. Since then, each team sought to improve their company’s starting survey score based on a point system in areas of general health environment, physical activity, nutrition, tobacco use and stress management.
The survey includes questions or statements, each worth a few points, with topics ranging from annual wellness program reviews, bike racks, on-site gardening, access to fruit and vegetables, water coolers, policies on banning tobacco use and space where employees can exercise.
The team that improves the most, wins.
Courtyard by Marriott’s score went from 36 to 172, an increase of 136. Kauai Coffee went from 82 to 199, an increase of 117, while the state Department of Health’s Kauai District Health Office went from 99 to 187, an increase of 88.
Teams this year included Kauai Community College, the County of Kauai, Costco, Aqua Engineers, Hartung Brothers Hawaii, Inc., YWCA Kauai, HMSA/Kuhio Medical Center, Hokuala Kauai and Wilcox Health.
Each looked their polices, programs and workplace environment and set out to make it the best for healthy, happy, employees.
KONG Radio Group, for instance, bought stand-up desks for employees. Koloa Landing Resort instituted an onsite smoking ban.
“Everyone did amazing,” Brody said.
The program has been tweaked since its first year in 2014, when the Kauai Marriott Resort &Beach Club team won, and in its second year in 2016, won by Wilcox Health.
Teams received more points for policy and environment changes – lasting, sustainable changes, versus short-term ones such as posting fliers and one-time activities.
“We trying to motivate people and encourage them to make policy and environmental changes a priority, and they have,” Brody said.
More than 100 policies regarding worksite wellness have been put in place by companies that are involved.
Fred Cowell, general manager of Kauai Coffee, said this was their second time in the competition.
“The first time was a chance for us to help build a team and build a process,” he said. “This time, they went in full steam.”
Cowell gave the team carte blanche to do what it believed was best.
“They basically ran with it,” he said.
Kauai Coffee, which has a trail for onsite walking, held a health fair that covered smoking cessation, weight loss, blood pressure, vaccinations and exercise.
It also hosted a motorcycle rally/poker run that included activities for cyclists and scooters.
But while pleased with second place, Cowell said they’re not done.
“One of the best things to take away is, what else? What’s next? We’re rising to a standard and looking to do more,” he said.
Brody said besides the physical benefits of the programs, she’s seen staff morale and camaraderie rise.
“Upper management is showing they really care about the health and well-being of their employees,” she said. “Many senior managers have bought into this, investing time and money to make sure their worksite is healthy.”
Mayor-elect Derek Kawakami praised the program, pointing out it trickles down from the workplace to family, to friends, to church.
“All of these things they are learning and practicing at the worksite gets out into the community,” Brody said.
Melissa Kunitake with Kaiser Permanente, a sponsor, is a workforce health consultant and was a coach for the Worksite Wellness Challenge.
She likes the way the program gives companies a step-by-step process to follow and is effective whether a company already has a strong wellness program or is just starting one.
“Whatever level they are at, it will help them improve and sustain their program,” she said.
Kunitake has seen the difference in how the challenge brings staff and management together. She said it improves productivity and employee retention.
“It’s a really good program,” she said. “People get excited about it — they embrace it.”
For winning, Courtyard at Kauai earns bragging rights and received a glass trophy.
Saiki couldn’t pinpoint improvements in health and wellness at Courtyard at Kauai as a result of the program, but said employees “certainly are happy.
“And a happy staff is a great place you want to visit, and what better place than a hotel right on the Coconut coast,” she said.
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Bill Buley, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or bbuley@thegardenisland.com.
