Canadian Safety Reporter

2 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2016 CSR | February 2016 | News PowerStream, which has 570 employees, is a Vaughan, Ont.- based energy company that serves communities immedi- ately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario. Bentz and other senior leaders in the organization participate in many of the wellness initiatives developed by PowerStream's wellness committee. There is a hockey team, a semi-formal soc- cer team, a fitness benefit pro- gram and a bicycle team. Last year PowerStream launched an eight-week healthy eating challenge. Staff is provid- ed with ongoing support through weekly emails, recipes, tips, shopping lists and 24-7 external support. "It really taught them how to make healthy eating a lifestyle," said Daniella Cogliano, organiz- ational improvement co-ordin- ator. The on-site cafeteria also part- nered with the wellness com- mittee on this initiative, offering employees a challenge-friendly breakfast and lunch options throughout the eight weeks. One of the areas of promotion for this challenge is the effect healthy eating can have for those with Type II diabetes or as a dia- betes preventative. "We have a multigenerational workforce and employees are dealing with Type II diabe- tes, high cholesterol and heart health issues, so as an organiza- tion we see value in encourag- ing a healthy lifestyle, including healthy eating to help prevent or mitigate such issues," said Co- gliano. The initiative was so success- ful that many staff members continue to sleep better and lose weight. The organization's fitness pro- gram is structured to be inclusive and open to allow employees to pick their own type of fitness plan. The employee simply has to present proof of payment to re- ceive a reimbursement for physi- cal activity packages or lessons. "So it could be a swimming lesson or a golf lesson or mine happens to be a GoodLife membership," said Carrie Sally, conservation and demand management mar- keting co-ordinator and a well- ness committee member. Besides the eight-week chal- lenge and fitness program, Pow- erStream has a farmers market, a healthy workplace month, apple- a-day campaign, and walk-to- work challenge. Another successful initiative is the stretching program. In the past two years PowerStream de- veloped and distributed mouse pads with six different stretches that can be done at the office. Ergonomics assessment of the office space is also assessed and optimized for every new employ- ee with special needs and condi- tions taken into account. The organization also makes certain to keep wellness top of mind for employees by sending out a daily email with relevant wellness topics. While staying healthy in an office environment is certainly a challenge that PowerStream has taken measures to address, the organization has not forgotten about its many employees work- ing out in the field. "They are working on the roads and they are working with high voltages. There are a num- ber of hazards to deal with on a day-to-day basis," said Stanton Sheogobind, director lines at PowerStream. The hazards affect employees' wellness and special attention has to be given to these work- ers, who often feel disconnected from what is going on in the sat- ellite office, he says. Bringing in a nutritionist is one way that the PowerStream tries to help its workers in the field. Stan- ton says the nutritionist is able to give tips on how to pack a nutri- tious and filling lunch while con- sidering that the workers have to be active all day with a great deal of physical labour involved. The type of nutritious lunch need- ed for a labour-intensive work day may be very different from a lunch of an office worker. "Work-life balance, employee engagement, employee wellness in all forms really makes the com- pany a better place for everyone — our customers, our sharehold- ers, employees, staff, manage- ment, unions," said Sally. As part of the commitment to work-life balance, mental health has become an important factor to address this year and will be one of the main focus areas in the coming year, says Sally. "If it's not themselves it is family members or friends, we've all been exposed to someone with a mental wellness issue." Also, PowerStream hopes to develop technology-savvy solu- tions to help staff with their fi- nancial health management. "We feel like financial, health tools, tips and resources need to be communicated in our month- ly newsletters and available through our benefits provider," said Sally, who hopes to see a big- ger focus on financial health in the near future. The plethora of wellness op- tions at the company has not only helped keep the workforce healthy but also happy. "Employee engagement is ex- ceptionally high here… above 95 per cent," said Bentz. "We know that is because we place high priority on our staff and we know that our staff is cared for." Power-streaming< pg. 1 Fitness, nutrition and ergonomics plans Credit: Shutterstock

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