(Tampa, FL – August 16, 2018) – The results of the American Heart Association 2018 Workplace Health Achievement Index were announced today and GTE Financial achieved Gold level recognition for taking significant steps to build a culture of health in the workplace.
In the past year, GTE Financial added wellness time off to its already robust employee benefits package, which pays staff for up to four hours to conduct any wellness activity they may need. The credit union has also developed an internal program called GTE LiveWell. The program was designed to engage employees, bringing them one step closer to their wellness goals.
The American Heart Association created the Index with its CEO Roundtable members, a leadership collaborative of more than 40 CEOs from some of America’s largest companies who are committed to applying evidence-based approaches to improve their employees’ overall health. The Index uses science-based best practices to evaluate the overall quality and comprehensiveness of their workplace health programs. A unique feature of the Index is that it calculates an average heart health score for employees of participating companies that securely submit aggregate health data.
More than 1000 companies completed the Index assessment this year and, of those companies, 75% received either Gold, Silver, or Bronze recognition. Companies receive benchmarking reports, which allow them to identify potential areas of improvement so that they can advance their annual performance and recognition in the Index and help their workforce move toward ideal heart health.
“It is an honor for us to be recognized for developing a healthier place to work for our employees,” said Jasiel Legon, SVP, chief talent officer for GTE Financial. “We are very proud to offer programs that are engaging and designed for their overall wellness advancements.”
The Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index allows companies to measure the effectiveness of their workplace health programs as well as the overall heart health of their employees. Unlike other existing organizational scorecards, the Index also scores companies on the heart health of their employees based on Life’s Simple 7® – the Association’s scientifically validated definition of ideal heart health. The American Heart Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index assessment is grounded in data-driven science and a quality improvement framework. According to the Nielsen 2016 Employee Health Survey, robust and comprehensive strategies for well-being are associated with positive impacts on employees’ health.
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About GTE Financial:
GTE Financial is a not‐for‐profit financial cooperative with more than $1.8 billion in assets and 23 Community Financial Centers located throughout West Central Florida. Chartered in 1935, GTE Financial is locally owned and operated in the Tampa Bay area, serving more than 260,000 individuals and businesses. More information on GTE Financial can be found at www.gtefinancial.org.
About the American Heart Association:
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – the two leading causes of death in the world. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.