Salo Ups The Ante On Employee Health And Wellness; Strives To Become First Blue Zones Certified Workplace

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Salo, a company known for its innovative healthy workplace environment, announced that it is embarking on a landmark initiative to become the first Blue Zones® Certified Workplace. The Blue Zones Project takes a systematic approach to optimizing the health environment of an individual instead of focusing only on behavior change.

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The Blue Zones Certified Workplace initiative is rooted in research by explorer and National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner on locations around the world where people live longer, healthier, happier lives. While the Blue Zones Project has existed in communities such as the Beach Cities of Los Angeles and the state of Iowa, Salo is the first company to seek out a Blue Zones Certified Workplace designation.

"The workplace is the next frontier for Blue Zones," Buettner said. "Workplaces with greater wellbeing have fewer healthcare costs and are among the best places to work. Our goal is to make healthier choices easier for all Salo employees."

Salo, an award-winning contract staffing company that includes the NumberWorks and Oberon brands, is based in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago, and specializes in outsourcing finance, accounting and human resource talent. More than 250 employees will participate in this program.

The project will not only focus on fitness and nutrition but also on developing meaningful communities for employees and creating purpose in their lives. A core component of a Blue Zones workplace is connecting with a group of peers that create a support system called a Moai (moh-eye), a concept borrowed from Okinawa, Japan.

"The Salo Blue Zones project goes beyond a focus on eating well and working out. It encompasses so much more, including how an individual connects with a supportive community and develops a sense of purpose in their everyday lives," said Gwen Martin, co-founder and managing partner of NumberWorks. "We believe if we invest in our employees' enhanced wellbeing and engagement, not only will the employees benefit individually, but as a byproduct the firm will benefit as well."

The initiative will suggest four optimal behaviors: move naturally, have the right outlook, eat wisely, and connect with family and friends. As a part of the process, employees will:

• Sign a Blue Zones Personal Pledge to take a variety of specific actions that will help them live longer, better lives.
• Take pre- and post- assessments that measure progress.
• Work with Blue Zones Ambassadors who offer guidance and support.
• Attend several company-sponsored seminars, including a purpose workshop that will help staff connect to their values, strengths and gifts.

Through these healthy actions, Salo aims to add a collective 1,000 years to employees' lives. And to determine business effectiveness, Salo will track metrics including employee engagement, health care claims, followers on social media sites, attrition, uptick in unsolicited business and employment inquiries, as well as the overall effect on the company's success.

"We hope that we set an example of how a company can take the health of its employees into its own hands, curbing the affect skyrocketing corporate healthcare costs are having on the bottom line," said Martin.

Salo will release overall results in April 2013. 

About Salo, Oberon, NumberWorks
Salo/Oberon/NumberWorks are leaders in driving business outcomes by leveraging talent in finance, accounting and human resources; as well as financial executive search services. The award-winning firms are among the fastest-growing contract staffing companies in the country with offices in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Chicago. For more information, visit www.salollc.com, www.oberonllc.com, www.numberworksllc.com.

About Blue Zones
Blue Zones employs evidence-based ways to help people live longer, better. Its work is rooted in The New York Times best-selling books The Blue Zones and Thrive, published by National Geographic books. In 2009, Blue Zones applied the tenets of the books to Albert Lea, Minn., raising life expectancy and lowering healthcare costs for city workers by 40 percent. Blue Zones takes a systematic, environmental approach to wellbeing, which focuses on optimizing policy, building design, social networks, and the built environment. The Blue Zones certified workplace initiative is based on this innovative approach. For more information, visit www.bluezones.com.

Contact:  
Laura McCarthy
612.644.0403
[email protected]

SOURCE Salo