Sagicor employees 'get ready to move'

Sagicor Group Jamaica has launched an extensive Wellness Programme aimed at increasing the health and well-being of team members, increasing productivity and increasing team member engagement. The company's theme for the 2014 initiative is 'Get Ready To Move'.

Michelle Distant, manager, compensation and benefits, group human resources, said, "the purpose of our Sagicor Wellness Programme is to educate, encourage, motivate, and provide opportunities for our team members within the Sagicor Jamaica Group to develop a healthier lifestyle by supporting the adoption of healthier habits and attitudes, thus contributing towards a positive well-being."

The Group formed a wellness committee and appointed wellness ambassadors earlier this year, comprising team members selected from across the Group, whose primary responsibility is to encourage and motivate colleagues to develop healthier lifestyles.

Their kickoff seminar event, held on March 19, saw over 150 team members in attendance. These informational seminars on various health-related topics will be held quarterly.

A further component of the programme is the ALIVE Fitness Club, for which team members can volunteer. The club will be participating in various road races and other events throughout the year. The club also converged on the sands of Fort Clarence beach in St Catherine and completed a two-hour exhilarating and exciting workout programme in March, another launch event under the initiative.

crucial element

Nutrition is also a crucial element of the programme. Sagicor's wellness committee and ambassadors attended a training seminar conducted by nutritionist Patricia Thompson and her team. The theme for the seminar, 'Road Map to Health and Nutrition', focused on making lifestyle changes, stages to optimise health and wellness using the 'Health Ladder' and the role of nutrition and the process of health behaviour change.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the programme for the first half of the year was when the team took the show on the road to each branch of Sagicor. The Sagicor Group has branches in Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine, Manchester, Westmoreland, St James, and St Ann. The road shows incorporated wellness talks by nutritionists and checks by medical professionals, as well as physical activities - aerobics boot camp and Zumba classes. The roadshow culminated in Kingston with the Fit Fridayz activity lyme. This will continue quarterly throughout the year.

"We continue to build on our wellness and work-life balance programme with initiatives, including hike-a-thons/bike-a-thons, our continued support of our Sagicor sports programmes (netball, volleyball, football, basketball, and cricket) and the expansion of our weekly exercise programmes (aerobics, zumba, pilates, yoga) to offer more options to our team," said Distant.

In order to keep team members engaged, the company also introduced the 'Live Well' programme. Each Friday, team members receive emails highlighting one of the following categories:

MINDWELL - features quizzes and prizes to promote wellness of the mind, brain and spirit.

EATWELL - sharing quick food tips meant to foster an environment where healthy food and drink choice is the easy choice.

MOVEWELL - outlines short exercise activities which will help to improve your health.

BEWELL - recognition feature highlighting team members who are taking active steps towards wellness.