Build it, and they will come. A statement all employers hope will ring true with their health improvement programs. Yet, certain programs aimed at supporting workers' health and wellness may take some time in getting off the ground. In the end, however, it's all about commitment.

For that reason, the National Business Group on Health recently lauded 63 large employers committed to re-examining attitudes and habits around health and fitness. Despite a slumping economy, some companies are not backing away from their health and wellness programs, says LuAnn Heinen, vice president at NBGH.

In fact, the 63 employers making up the 2009 award-winning class of the group's Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles honor is the biggest ever in the competition's five-year history.

"There is an interest, in fact, in expanding workplace health programs globally," Heinen says. "I thought we would see some leveling off, but I have not seen that."

The Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles award winners embody the corporate spirit that the workplace can serve as a venue to help workers and their families to make better choices about their own health and well-being. Of course, such efforts may also rein in a company's escalating health care costs.

The winners are broken down into three categories: Platinum, Gold and Silver. Employers bestowed with the Platinum award have created a corporate wide culture of health and specific commitment to improving employees' well-being through healthy choices. With the Platinum winners, there is often C-suite support for the programs, and the programs advance because they have been able to accumulate the resources that allow for additional features and choices.

"To keep participation rates up, your health improvement programs need more options," Heinen says. Additionally, the winners in the Platinum category have also been able to document and measure the impact of their programs.

The companies in the Gold category have made significant changes in the environment at work to support healthy lifestyles. For example, they are not hindering employees with unhealthy dining, vending and catering situations. From a physical activity standpoint, some have opened up stairwells and supported walking clubs.

Employers in the Silver category have a solid strategy built on population assessment. They have created a well-articulated game plan to improve the health of their employees..

"The magic to our health and wellness programs is that our employees volunteer as health promotion leaders," says Fred R. Williams, director of health benefits management strategies at Quest Diagnostics, which was named a Platinum winner for its Healthy Quest employee wellness program. "With strong support at the top, and our Blueprint for Wellness health risk assessment that informs employees about their personal health, we are starting with a strong foundation. When you add to these the education and motivation that employee volunteers, backed by corporate support and tools, drive forward, that's when the program really begins to reach individuals and helps them take charge of their personal health."

The workers volunteer as health promotion leaders because they are passionate about health and wellness, Williams says. For example, "a worker who is a marathon runner might show interest in running one of our onsite fitness centers, while another employee who likes to cook will volunteer to lead a workshop on nutrition and healthy eating. Then there are former tobacco users who want to lead the smoking cessation classes," he explains.

Overall, the company sees its health promotion as an ongoing initiative and not just as a flavor-of-the-month strategies. "The organization makes health improvement one of its top corporate goals," he explains.

For instance, each business quarter, employees not only receive reports about the company's corporate performance, but also numbers on the health improvement programs. A sound policy on workplace health and wellness programs is not always about the dollar. It is about the health of the workers, and strong programs will eventually lead to greater productivity and better business, William notes.

The company's tobacco cessation program, which over four years has seen 3,600 employees enrolled, is kept fresh and participation rates constant by frequently highlighting employees' testimonials tied to success of the program. In addition, the smoking/tobacco cessation leaders receive a report every week showing how many people signed up for the program.

"Employers know first-hand that a healthy workforce is essential to increasing productivity and to maintaining a competitive edge in the new global economy," says Helen Darling, president of NBGH.

2009 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles Winners

PLATINUM:

Aetna

Baptist Health South Florida

Campbell Soup Company

CIGNA

Dell Inc.

FPL Group

Hannaford Supermarkets

IBM

Medtronic

Occidental Petroleum Corporation

PepsiCo Inc.

Pitney Bowes Inc.

Quest Diagnostics

Texas Instruments Incorporated

Union Pacific

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC Health Plan

Volvo Group Companies including Mack Trucks, Inc.

GOLD:

American Specialty Health Incorporated

AstraZeneca

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Chrysler Group LLC

Cummins Inc.

CVS Caremark

General Dynamics Electric Boat

General Mills

Healthways

Humana

Intel Corporation

JPMorgan Chase

Mayo Clinic Paychex, Inc.

Pfizer Inc.

Raytheon Company

Saint-Gobain Corporation

Sprint

The Boeing Company

Unum Verizon

Visant Corporation

Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

WellPoint, Inc.

SILVER:

Accenture

American Express

ARAMARK

Cardinal Health, Inc.

H. J. Heinz Company

Lowe's Companies, Inc.

Meijer

Michelin North America

PRO Sports Club

Qwest Communications

Rockwell Collins sanofi-aventis U.S.

Target

Texas Health Resources

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

The Home Depot

Unilever

Watson Wyatt Worldwide

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company

Xcel Energy Source: The National Business Group on Health

Source: The National Business Group on Health