Philadelphia, PA, June 26, 2009 – ARAMARK, a provider of professional services, has been honored by the National Business Group on Health as one of the nation’s leading corporations for innovative programs promoting a healthy workplace, and for helping its employees and their families make better choices about their own health and well-being.
ARAMARK, which employs more than a quarter of a million people globally, was among a select group of employers that received the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles award at the Joint Summit of the Institutes on Health Care Costs and Solutions. ARAMARK received a Silver Award for its “ARAMARK Take Care” health and wellness program.
“At ARAMARK, we understand that we have both a responsibility and the expertise to help educate, enable and encourage people of all ages to adopt healthier eating practices and more active lifestyles,” said Lynn McKee, Executive Vice President, Human Resources, ARAMARK. “Investing in the health and wellness of our employees underscores our commitment to our people, who are the cornerstone of ARAMARK’s business. A healthy, positive workforce is well positioned to better serve our clients and customers.”
ARAMARK’s Commitment to Health and Wellness
One of ARAMARK’s top priorities has long been the health and satisfaction of its employees, as well as the customers it serves each day.
Because ARAMARK touches millions of customers around the world each day, the company is well positioned to have a positive impact on the dining and healthy lifestyle choices of a broad audience of consumers. Throughout its operations, ARAMARK uses its knowledge, culinary expertise, and consumer access to empower healthier environments, experiences and outcomes. ARAMARK offers healthy food and beverage options to address nutrition and dietary priorities; promotes awareness through health and wellness education and outreach programs; conducts consumer research to study food, nutrition and health trends; and partners with leading nonprofit and governmental organizations to make a greater impact on public health.
ARAMARK also works to build healthier communities through ARAMARK Building Community, a program that builds long-term partnerships to strengthen and support community centers across the country. Through this initiative the company is sharing its expertise and resources in nutrition and wellness to help educate families on how to live a healthier lifestyle and adopt better eating habits.
“As one of the companies recognized this year for their employee health and wellness programs, ARAMARK is at the vanguard of a national movement to promote a system-wide culture of health emphasizing prevention, exercise, and eating right,” said Helen Darling, President of the National Business Group on Health. “More than ever, a healthy workforce is critical to helping America’s large employers compete in the global marketplace. ARAMARK is to be applauded for making health and wellness an integral part of their workplace.”
ARAMARK Take Care Program
ARAMARK’s Take Care program is designed to build a culture of health and wellness among employees and to support their efforts to get and stay healthy by utilizing the company’s benefit programs. The wellness programs available through Take Care span all aspects of an employee’s health, including physical and emotional well-being, and provide incentives for participation.
For example, ARAMARK’S Wellness Pays program offers rewards to employees for obtaining preventive health screenings like annual physicals, well-woman exams, mammograms, or prostate screenings, which allow them to take a more active role in managing their health. This program has already made a positive impact on employee behavior: Of the 7,800 individuals who received a preventive health screening through the program this year, 71 percent had not received a screening in the previous year.
ARAMARK’s Take Care program offers resources to assist employees and their family members with the full spectrum of health states, from preventive care to assistance with chronic illness. Some of the resources available to ARAMARK employees include nutrition counseling and support, health screenings and rewards for participation, smoking cessation programs, wellness seminars, work/life support, and 24/7 telephonic access to nurses and behavioral health specialists.
About ARAMARK
ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. In FORTUNE magazine's 2009 list of "World's Most Admired Companies," ARAMARK was ranked number one in its industry, consistently ranking since 1998 as one of the top three most admired companies in its industry as evaluated by peers and analysts. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 260,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries. Learn more at www.twitter.com/aramarknews.
About the National Business Group on Health
The National Business Group on Health is the nation’s only non-profit, membership organization of large employers – including 60 of the Fortune 100 – devoted exclusively to finding innovative and forward-thinking solutions to their most important health care and related benefits issues. The NBGH identifies and shares best practices in health benefits, disability, health and productivity, related paid time off and work/life balance issues. NBGH members provide health coverage for more than 50 million U.S. workers, retirees and their families. For more information about the NBGH, visit www.businessgrouphealth.org
Contacts:
Nicole Kennedy
215-238-8241
kennedy-nicole@aramark.com