HCW & CAI Complete First of 11 Employee Benefits Trainings

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Jan. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hill, Chesson & Woody (HCW) and Capital Associated Industries (CAI) embarked on a year-long series of HRCI-certified educational seminars called "Eleven in 11," the first of which took place Tuesday at CAI's headquarters in Raleigh, N.C.  

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"How to Keep Your Wellness Initiatives from Running Out of Steam" covered the latest strategies and practices to enhance workplace wellness and maximize its impact on the health and wellbeing of employees. The popularity of the program required an additional session offering.

Leslie Gilbert, an HR administrative specialist with Gregory Poole Equipment Company in Raleigh, said that she was going to take every idea she heard back to her office, but that one thing in particular really stood out.

"That you're making a choice by not doing something was probably the biggest idea, because it's getting to the point that inaction is as much [of a choice] as action," Gilbert said. "Setting up a wellness committee and keeping active involvement, communicating that involvement and communicating the results…that's very important."

Additional topics covered by HCW Consultant Joanne Forbes, MBA, FMLI, and Medical Management Officer Twyla Hutchins, RN, BSN, COHN-S, included how to analyze and evaluate current wellness strategies, gain added support from C-suite executives, affect cost savings, and more.

Dana Davis, SPHR and director of human resources at the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, said she picked up information on what's involved with transitioning from a participation-based wellness program to a standards-based program — a move that comes with increased compliance obligations.

"We want to see some return on the activities that we're working on with our employees," Davis said. "That might be what it takes to get employees engaged."

All the "Eleven in '11" events are being held at CAI's Raleigh and Greensboro, N.C. offices, with the wellness presentation to be given again on Feb. 10 in Greensboro.

"We offer many educational opportunities like this every year because we're passionate about guiding businesses to a maximized benefits plan," said Todd Yates, principal and managing partner at Hill, Chesson & Woody. "We've identified six core facets that help with that goal and we've staffed our firm with experts to make that happen for our clients."

For more information on future topics and dates, visit HCW's "Thought Leadership" page at www.HCWBenefits.com, or call (919) 403-1986.

SOURCE Hill, Chesson & Woody