Recently it was brought to our attention that one of our member cities, Orland, has implemented a fitness tracker program. Using funds they received from participating in our Risk Management Accreditation Program (reach out to Member Services, you can get up to 10% of your yearly contribution back!) they were able to buy fitness trackers for employees who were interested. The trackers were low-cost at roughly $20 per employee, and track steps as well as heart rate.

The goal of the program was simple: get employees moving! Employees who participated wore their fitness tracker’s daily, and at the end of each week filled out a quick anonymous questionnaire regarding their tracker usage, how they felt, and a goal they would like to achieve by the end of the following week. There was no daily logging of steps, just a simple questionnaire that focused on the employee’s overall health and well-being. There were no incentives for participation other than improving the employee’s own health and well-being.

By taking a no-pressure approach, City of Orland found they had great results and participation. At the end of the 20-week trial, the majority of participants were still using their fitness trackers daily. Even better than that, employees were actively talking about positive lifestyle changes ranging from increased fitness to eating healthier.

We are proud of City of Orland for taking a proactive step to improve its employee’s health and wellness! Have you or your district taken any steps or initiatives to positively impact the health or wellness of your employees? If so, we’d love to hear about it so we can share your success stories. Reach out to us at Member Services and tell us about your own personal program, or if you need ideas on starting a program we are glad to help there too. Thanks for reading and moreover thank you for your continued membership with Golden State Risk Management Authority!