Comstock's magazine 1119 - November 2019

HEALTH CARE SMUD introduced its first wellness initia- tive in 1984 with brown-bag “lunch and learns” focused on health education and awareness and now has a comprehensive health assessment program that helps em- ployees understand their health risk fac- tors to improve their overall well-being. In 2018, at the Fitbit Captivate conference in Chicago, SMUD was named as one of the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America — it ranked No. 10 out of more than 1,000 well- ness programs. A number of federal and state laws and regulations impose requirements and regu- late the use of financial incentives in certain types of wellness programs. The Health In- surance Portability and Accountability Act and the Affordable Care Act, among others, limit incentives and require the availability of a reasonable alternative if it is medically inadvisable or unreasonably difficult for an individual to achieve the standard. Current federal rules only allow up to a 30 percent premium differential on the lowest health care plan offered, according to USI Insur- ance Services president Stephen Elkins, and require large prizes be subject to taxes. So, if they’re secure and provide both fun and financial benefits — for employee and employer alike — are wellness incen- tive programs really worth it? “While bottom line return on invest- ment is important, it can be difficult to quantify and doesn’t holistically capture the benefits of a corporate wellness pro- gram,” says Rodriguez. “We view ROI on employee wellness as intrinsic, which often delivers positive financial outcomes.” Similarly for Lowe, wellness programs are not a “nice extra.” They’re a key invest- ment in making sure a workforce stays healthy and happy. Locally owned. TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT | FEES & PERMITTING | SENIOR LIVING FACILITIES BUSINESS INSIGHT FOR THE CAPITAL REGION JANUARY ‘19 VOL. 31 | NO. 1 Locally produced. THE LONELY PROFESSIONAL | SENIORS REDISCOVER CANNABIS | CHARTER SCHOOL REFORM BUSINESS INSIGHT FOR THE CAPITAL REGION APRIL ‘19 VOL. 31 | NO. 4 “Healthy employees can experience more confidence in their work and more collaboration with their co-workers and overall improved life satisfaction,” Lowe says. “Most of us spend eight hours or more at work, so it’s beneficial to have op- portunities to improve our wellness at our workplace.” n Jessica Laskey is a freelance writer based in Sacramento. Her work has been published in Inside Publications, Sacramento Magazine, Sactown magazine and The Sacramento Bee. She’s also the founding co-publisher of Indomi- ta Press, an independent local publishing com- pany she runs with her husband. Find out more at www.jessicalaskey.com. Nationally recognized. FAIR OAKS HOPPING AGAIN | DIVERSIFICATION OF RICE | RX FOR MERGER MADNESS BUSINESS INSIGHT FOR THE CAPITAL REGION SEPTEMBER ‘19 VOL. 31 | NO. 9 REGIONAL CHALLENGE: HOMELESSNESS | BITTERSWEET SUCCESSION | STOP FEARING FAILURE BUSINESS INSIGHT FOR THE CAPITAL REGION family business issue the blockchain wave wanted: housing How it works and what it could mean for your business by Steven Yoder we hate meetings How to make them worthwhile by Jeff Wilser closing time For Dimple Records’ John and Dilyn Radakovitz, it’s the end of an era by Matthew Keys www.ComstocksMag.com 84 comstocksmag.com | November 2019 OCTOBER ‘19 VOL. 31 | NO. 10

Comstock's magazine 1119 - November 2019 | Page 84