The Connection Magazine A.I.M. Mutual Fall 2016 | Page 25

WELLNESS IN WORKERS’ COMPENSATION

IS WELLNESS WORKING?
Palmer Foundry Says Yes!

SINCE A.I.M. Mutual Insurance Companies launched its wellness
initiative in 2013, a number of policyholders have built wellness
into their workers’ compensation management programs. One such
policyholder is Palmer Foundry in Palmer, Massachusetts, which is
participating in A.I.M. Works: The Wellness Advantage. This program
is designed to help employers establish, sustain, and expand
wellness programs at the workplace. Here’s what Palmer Foundry
has to report so far.

Background

Palmer Foundry had some experience with wellness prior
to signing up for A.I.M. Works. But after hearing directly from
69 percent of its employees via the A.I.M. Works: Wellbeing
Assessment, the Palmer Foundry Wellness Committee worked
in conjunction with A.I.M. Mutual to identify three areas where
wellness interventions were both needed and wanted. In addition,
A.I.M. Mutual provided support to ensure that Palmer Foundry
successfully qualified for the Massachusetts Wellness Tax Credit.

Goals and Results

At the outset, 44 percent of Palmer Foundry employees reported
they were smokers, 27 percent higher than the state average. The
company introduced tobacco cessation guidance and programming
along with incentives which led to a 14 percent decrease in tobacco use
among employees.
Financial education and stress management were other areas
of concern for employees. In 2015, 22 percent of the company’s
respondents to the wellbeing assessment had low confidence in
managing their finances, and nearly half felt they didn’t have enough
FALL 2016

money to do what they wanted to do in life. Palmer Foundry
began to offer on-site financial management budgeting classes
during work hours, which are being well received. A follow-up
assessment showed improvement in both areas.
Finally, the company was looking to promote a culture of
wellne