BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - December 14, 2010) - Virgin HealthMiles, a leading provider of technology-based employee health and productivity programs that reward individuals for getting healthy, today announced its client, Protective Life Corporation ("Protective"), was the recipient of a 2010 Optimas Award from Workforce Management magazine. Protective received the award in the Partnership category in recognition of its work with Virgin HealthMiles to develop a wellness strategy that engages employees in improving their health and well-being.
The Optimas awards are issued to just 10 companies each year that exemplify workforce management excellence in areas such as vision, competitive advantage, innovation, service, financial impact, partnership and global outlook. Protective was joined by other 2010 winners including leading companies such as Microsoft and IBM.
Through the years, Protective has become geographically dispersed, with 80 percent of its employee population engaged in sedentary, desk-centric work. The company was challenged with engaging both healthy and at-risk employees in a measurable wellness program to prevent the onset of lifestyle-related chronic conditions that significantly drive healthcare cost increases. By implementing the Virgin HealthMiles program, Protective engaged 61 percent of its employees in the Company's ongoing wellness initiative and the number of Protective's members who are considered active -- or getting enough activity -- has increased from 27 percent at program launch to 43 percent. Furthermore, 10 percent of Protective's participants have dropped out of the obese category since the program's inception.
"We congratulate Protective on this impressive recognition by Workforce Management, and are proud of the significant gains they've achieved in their health and productivity program," said Sean Forbes, president of Virgin HealthMiles. "Protective is an outstanding example of how companies can take proactive steps to use technology to successfully motivate, measure, and manage employee health and productivity."
More information can be found at: http://www.workforce.com/archive/feature/hr-management/protective-life-corp-optimas-award-winner-partnership/index.php or in the December 2010 issue of Workforce Management magazine.
About Virgin HealthMiles
Virgin HealthMiles provides technology-based employee health programs that pay people to get active. The company's Pay-for-Prevention™ approach, based on physical activity and healthy lifestyle change, attracts an average of 40 percent of employees who participate, which helps organizations reduce medical costs and improve employee productivity and satisfaction. The program is offered by employers, government entities, and insurers. Over 120 industry leaders representing more than 500,000 employees across the U.S., including American Diabetes Association, Intuit, OhioHealth, Ochsner Health System, MWV, Protective Life, SunGard, SunTrust, and Timberland have selected Virgin HealthMiles' award-winning program for their employees. The company is a member of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group. For more information, visit www.virginhealthmiles.com.
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