Publicis Health Media: Core Values That Support Health and Wellness
By Daniel Dellacona, Group Vice President, Human Resources & Resource Management, Publicis Health Media
One of our core values at Publicis Health Media (PHM) is “We Choose Health.” For PHM this means that not only are we dedicated to working in the market space of health and wellness, but that we also provide incentives and programs to all our employees for both their physical health and emotional well-being.
Our inventive Health and Wellness programs have been recognized by our employees as a factor in making PHM one of the best places to work — most recently validated by Publicis Health Media being ranked #11 on Ad Age’s 2016 Best Places To Work list. Here are some of the ways we support our employees’ well-being.
Health Stipends
One of our most popular programs is our Health and Wellness stipend. All full-time employees receive $250 per year to apply to their health and wellness goals. They can apply this stipend to gym memberships, exercise programs, or technology that will help them achieve their wellness goals. The most popular categories this year have been yoga, spin classes, and the Apple iWatch.
Health Coaches
Through benefits provided by our parent company Publicis Groupe, we offer health coaching through WebMD. These one-on-one coaching sessions are conducted by health experts trained to engage and support participants in improving their health. Coaching can consist of phone calls, emails, and/or self-reported weekly activities via the WebMD Digital Health Assistant. Topics from smoking cessation to managing chronic conditions are all options for specialized coaching. Employees can also use their “Digital Health Assistant” to create trackers, participate in message boards, or integrate their personal health devices into an online dashboard.
Making Work/Life Integration Easier
We know that integrating your work and personal life can be challenging. We want our employees to know that their health is a priority and that a busy schedule isn’t a reason to skip a doctor’s appointment if they are feeling under the weather.
To help make life a little easier, we offer all employees Teledoc. By phone or mobile, they can obtain a consultation from a board-certified doctor who can diagnose their condition, treat it, and write prescriptions to manage common health problems. This is becoming a very popular program for our Millennials.
We also acknowledge that work and personal life integration doesn’t only concern the employee — many of our employees are also caregivers. Our latest program launched in 2016 was the Bright Horizons Care Advantage Program. This program provides our employees with a comprehensive resource for urgent and ongoing family care needs to help mitigate the challenges of balancing work and family obligations, such as child care, elder care, and pet care. Services are provided by Bright Horizons Family Solutions, a leading nationwide provider of high-quality care and family support resources.
Emotional Well-Being During Times of Crisis and Change
Finally, we recognize that we have to support our employees’ emotional health. At PHM we encourage our employees to bring “their whole lives to work.” By living this philosophy, we acknowledge that at times tragic global and local events outside of work can produce stress and anxiety that often follow employees into the workplace. Our solution to address these types of events is to create what we call Safe Space Conversations. A safe space is intended to provide a place where anyone can express themselves without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe. Our Safe Space Conversations are led by facilitators trained in creating an environment where our employees can express their emotions, concerns, and solutions for dealing with these events.
Originally published in Healthcare Marketer’s Exchange.
Daniel Dellacona is Group Vice President, Human Resources & Resource Management at Publicis Health Media.
