Putting Our People First
June 13, 2022 – Lakewood, CO — Our people are our greatest asset at Encore Electric, so actively taking care of their well-being is a top priority. Our efforts put toward caring for our people have been recognized for the sixth year in a row. Encore Electric has been named a Health Links Certified Healthy Workplace.
Health Links is a program of the Center for Health, Work & Environment at the Colorado School of Public Health and is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Health Links assessments and certifications recognize organizations of all kinds for their efforts and accomplishments in building work environments that support total worker health. In addition to celebrating company achievements, Health Links also supports companies in creating goals and action plans to help create healthier workplaces
Health Links bases their certification on six organizational benchmarks: organizational support; workplace assessment; health programs and policies; safety programs and policies; engagement; and evaluation. Meeting these benchmarks demonstrates commitment to employee wellness across all levels of the organization. Workplaces take an assessment to see where their organization ranks in these six areas to evaluate their standing as a healthy workplace and identify opportunities to help them grow.
Encore Electric has been a Certified Healthy Workplace Leader for the past six years and was named Mental Health Champion in 2021. Our exceptional benefits packages, access to resources, and commitment from all employees to create a healthy workplace are to thank for a standout culture that values the total wellness of our people.
“Everyone has skin in the game,” said Cathy Emerson, benefits manager. “When people are dedicated to a common goal at every level of an organization it’s so much easier to succeed.”
Collaboration and open communication have been key to our success in creating a healthy workplace for our people. Making space for dialogue on wellness and total employee health has opened the doors for employees to communicate their needs and share ideas on how to create a workplace to support our people.
Initiating open communication on workplace health and wellness has included educating our people on the resources that are available to them. Ensuring our employees know the tools they have in their toolbox has armed our people with the resources they need to take care of themselves.
In addition to making people aware of what resources they have access to the human resources and benefits teams actively look for feedback and input from employees for where these resources can be improved.
“We really make an effort to check in with people and see what they need and what we are missing,” said Emerson. “People are willing to be honest and transparent because they know Encore Electric is asking and genuinely listening to their feedback.”
Encore Electric takes this feedback seriously and implements requested changes quickly to ensure employees connect to the resources that they need as soon as possible. A major example of this is in response to a need for mental health support as the pandemic hit. Encore Electric swiftly added Talkspace, a digital talk therapy service, to our list of benefits to get our employees connected with support right away rather than leaving them waiting to connect with a therapist in person.
We know that the construction industry has higher risk of suicide and mental illness, and we take the health and wellness of our people seriously. Acknowledging this fact and creating an environment to support our people has helped us to be successful in providing proper resources and aid to keep our workforce mentally and physically healthy. We will continue to provide this support.
“Workers in the construction industry are at four times the risk of suicide than any other occupation,” said Brandon McGuire, safety specialist. “We are beginning to place emphasis on resiliency, providing tools to help employees manage the unexpected and provide our workers with the foundation of principles that allow them to be resilient.”
“We’re not just sitting back,” said Emerson. “We’re constantly looking for how we can improve, change, find answers, and be progressive with the resources that we offer.”
Check-ins and seeking out feedback from employees have opened a door to an environment where people feel comfortable reaching out, asking questions, and advocating for themselves when it comes to their health and wellness needs. Providing tools and support for employees to achieve total wellness sets our people up for success on and off the jobsite.
“We want our employees to go home the same way they come in and vice versa,“ said Director of Health and Safety Mike Callison. “Setting them up to take care of themselves at home and on the job is a huge priority of ours, and key to total employee wellness.”
At Encore Electric, we believe that there is always room to improve our approach to a healthy workplace. Reviewing the benefits and resources available to employees, setting wellness goals, and partnering with organizations like Health Links all help us create a workplace that supports the total health of our people.
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