A Las Vegas hotel owner is rolling the dice on wellness programming, betting that by creating a richer wellness plan for employees, the company will benefit as well.
So says an article in Casino City Times, reporting on the new corporate headquarters building for MGM Resorts International.
Apparently responding to the welter of news that claims wellness programs give employers an edge, MGM has included the following as part of its onsite wellness initiative: "a workout room with elliptical machines, free weights and medicine balls; a lunchroom with free entrées, soups and salad bar; and a fun room with a ping pong table where tables and chairs are sometimes removed for free yoga sessions. … Two treadmills with computers so that workers can do tasks while strolling off calories, boot camp-style workouts in the parking lot before work and even a trio of trails, ranging from a half-mile walk to 1.5 miles."
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The new campus came about when a couple of building housing 700 of MGM's 1,000 employees were demolished, forcing an enhancement of its campus. Not only did MGM create more space for wellness and fitness, but it beefed up its wellness coaching staff to 26.
The company recognized that it could trade incentives for longer term results.
For instance, all food in the corporate cafeteria is free. But although the lunchroom is loaded with health choices, lunchroom manager Irene Rivera says she hears the same gripe over and over again: "The biggest complaint is that there is not enough desserts," she said.
Despite such oh-so-human defects in the grand scheme, MGM executives aren't worried.
"We are deeply committed to providing health care benefits aimed at healthy living that include wellness coaches available to all of our employees, on-site fitness classes and resources within many of our properties, and benefit plans that drive a healthy lifestyle," Michelle DiTondo, MGM Resorts' senior vice president of human resources, told Casino City News. "We consider these investments in our employees and the overall culture of our company."
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
