2022 Finalists
August 15, 2022
In partnership with Springbuk, we are excited to announce our honorees for the 2022 Healthiest Employers of Southern California.
With approximately 18.6 million residents in the metropolitan area of Los Angeles, employers in this area must work to provide wellness programs that are diverse, impactful, and results-driven. In addition, their 75 miles of coastline, desert basin, and location to the San Gabriel Mountain Range make it possible to create an abundance of wellness-minded activities and initiatives for employers.
Interesting facts from our 2022 Southern California data include:
- 83.3% provide tuition reimbursement opportunities
- 72.2% offer more than 4 weeks of paid time off
- 66.7% are on a hybrid schedule model
- 22.2% offer 71+ days of paid maternity leave
- 16.7% of wellness programs have been in place more than 15 years
Each of these applicants took place in our corporate assessment, which is scored Rubric style on a 1-100 scale. The assessment is made up of six categories with yes/no, multiple choice, and short answer questions, with each question totaling .25-3 points. A Healthiest Employers Index (HEI) is assigned to each applicant to help rank among companies of similar size. All applicants are automatically entered into the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America award. The 2022 winners will be announced October 5! Remember to like us on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on all things Healthiest Employers!
500 to 1,499 Employees
1st Kitchell Contractors – Phoenix, Arizona (Local Office: San Diego) – 786 Employees
Kitchell began as a commercial contracting business and over the years developed new talents and enterprises, acquiring complementary businesses and expertise to remain a competitive, privately-owned company. Today, Kitchell Corporation is the holding entity of several companies that are part of Kitchell's core business as well as those that operate independently.
KItchell’s insurance offers robust coverage for individuals and their families. Many spouses opt to pay a premium surcharge to use their plan over their own employers’ provider. They are also spending a significant amount of time in engagement activities to ensure their people feel supported and connected. Some of the activities include monthly wellness webinars for all employees on various health topics. Our specialized engagement committee ensures all employees stay connected through monthly events.
“Several years ago we made a conscious decision to invest more in the overall health of our workforce - to be proactive rather than simply provide health insurance. It is well worth the expense and investment to have a different approach and platform to monitor our wellness activities. I am proud of the way our people have embraced it and taken ownership of their health.” – Jim Swanson, President and CEO
2nd Walker & Dunlop – Bethesda, Maryland (Local Offices: Los Angeles, San Diego) – 1,364 Employees
Walker & Dunlop is one of the largest commercial real estate finance companies in the United States, providing financing and investment sales to owners of multifamily and commercial properties. Their comprehensive suite of financing solutions allows us to originate loans for our own balance sheet and investment partnerships or for sale to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD, Life insurance companies, banks and CMBS providers.
The wellness program at Walker & Dunlop would not be successful without their leadership’s buy in. Their CEO, Willy Walker, runs regularly with his employees during breaks throughout the day and shares photos of his biking adventures to encourage others. His goal is to have at least 50% of his population tracking their health and wellness activities in their online portal. In 2021, the company paid out over $800,000 in wellness awards to employees that met their goals.
Walker & Dunlop also provides regularly attended wellness webinars on various topics, such as COVID-19, mental health for caregivers, burnout and motivation, and managing your emotional wellness. These virtual setups allow employees to attend no matter which office they are located.
“We truly believe our wellness program not only cultivates happier and more productive employees, but it creates an environment of teamwork and camaraderie across all departments, levels, and office locations." – Willy Walker, CEO and Chairman
3rd David Evans Associates – Portland, Oregon (Local Office: Ontario) – 808 Employees
David Evans Associates (DEA) is a civil engineering company that provides the design and management of complex transportation, land development, water resources, and energy projects nationwide.
DEA focuses on five pillars of employee health – physical, emotional, financial, career, and community, as they understand not everyone is at the same place on their well-being journey. Their most unique benefit is a $200 Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA) for participants to use for the wellbeing purchase of their choice. This purchase can relate to anything under the 5-pillar umbrella. Examples of some things employees have purchased are hiking boots, fishing licenses, books, meal prep kits, and even a portable sauna! Additionally, every two months they focus on one of the Pillars of Health and offer education and experiences for employees to be able to try out various programs to support their wellbeing goals. They also host movement classes (e.g., yoga, chair Pilates), free Calm app subscriptions, a team-based 'walk from office-office' fitness challenge, and webinars about personal finance.
'Wellbeing can mean so many different things depending on the time in our lives and immediate needs in that moment. In my experience, DEA’s well-being program and dedicated HR staff provide us with the tools and flexibility to meet us where we are. It gives me the confidence to tell a potential hire, 'you’ll feel taken care of at DEA.' If folks don’t feel this way now, please reach to your HR staff because I’m confident they’ll find a way to help.” – Anonymous Team Member
4th arrivia – Scottsdale, Arizona (Local Office: Carlsbad) – 675 Employees
5th Newfront – San Francisco, California (Local Office: Los Angeles) – 785 Employees
6th Henderson Engineers – Lenexa, Kansas (Local Office: Los Angeles) – 931 Employees
1,500 to 4,999 Employees
1st One America – Indianapolis, Indiana – (Local Office: Los Angeles) – 2,412 Employees
OneAmerica has become one of the fastest-growing mutual insurance holding companies in the U.S. Today, the companies of OneAmerica rely on a national network of financial professionals to provide customers with products and services related to retirement services, individual life insurance, asset-based long-term care, and employee benefits.
A major cornerstone of OneAmerica’s health and wellness strategy is their partnership with Marathon Health. 79% of at-risk employees made improvement in at least one of their risk categories in 2021. This speaks to the impact that not only the Marathon partnership has on team members, but also to the entirety of our health and wellness strategy that is driving their associates and families to resources for improving their health and wellbeing.
“The OneAmerica Active Choices program has definitely helped me live a more active, positive lifestyle. There are so many resources, challenges and programs to take advantage of to keep me active, help me focus on self-care and well-being and keeping an eye on my financial wellness, too. The OneAmerica program is well-rounded in looking at the entire associate and being healthy in all areas. I’m one of the wellness champions for OneAmerica and this is an important role to be lucky enough to be in. People are so busy with their job responsibilities, but others taking time to point out the programs, benefits, how to participate and just help them find things on OA Connect, our associate portal, make a big difference with participation. I’m grateful that OneAmerica offers such a robust Active Choices wellness program and think it’s really one of our best HR benefits!” – Beth Hicks, Enterprise Communications Manager
2nd Huntington Hospital – Pasadena – 4,575 Employees
Since 1892, Huntington Hospital has been proud to play a part in Pasadena’s growth, health, and vitality. For 130 years, they have grown into a nationally recognized healthcare center.
The Wellness Path program offers onsite support from a dedicated health coach who can assist employees with navigating all benefits, resources, and support. In combination with the wellness portal, employees can choose to engage with the program in a way that feels comfortable to them, whether it be onsite or in a virtual setting.
“The Wellness Path program provides personalized support to our employees through access to one-on-one lifestyle and condition management health coaching, group coaching, online wellness challenges, financial and mental well-being resources, an onsite health coach, and the opportunity to earn rewards and incentives toward medical premiums. Over the past 3 years, Wellness Path participants have experienced lower medical claims costs compared to non-participants, thus avoiding greater costs for health care for our employees and the organization.” – Debra Ortega, Chief Human Resources Officer
3rd Essex Property Trust – San Mateo – 1,773 Employees
Essex Property Trust is a fully integrated real estate investment trust (REIT) founded in 1971 that acquires, develops, redevelops, and manages multifamily residential properties. With a dynamic portfolio of properties and one of the most diverse workforces among our industry peers, we help residents, investors, and employees thrive.
At Essex, leadership believes wellness should encompass more than just physical health, which is why they introduced a new program this year which focuses on five different pillars of wellness – physical, financial, community, social, and career wellness. Associates who are highly engaged with the program and reach Gold or Platinum status have a 19% lower turnover rate compared with associates who are not engaged with the program, an important statistic in today’s work environment.
“Not long ago, my family suffered three losses over six months. I lost my father, grandmother, and cousin in a short period of time, which took a significant toll on my mental health. With my dad's passing, I also became the primary caretaker for my elderly mother. Thankfully, our EAP was there with free counseling sessions and the ARAG legal services, which allowed me to work with legal representatives at discounted rates while working to establish a trust for my mom. Plus, Essex programs include paid volunteer time, annual park passes, and education reimbursement programs, which I am currently utilizing to earn a master’s degree. The more I engage in wellness, the healthier and more balanced my life is.” – Elizabeth Rodriguez, Director of Community Management
4th Harman International Industries, Incorporated – Stamford, Connecticut (Local Office: Los Angeles)
5,000+ Employees
1st U-Haul International – Phoenix, Arizona (Multiple Local Offices) – 14,021 Employees
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U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. Their customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 126,000 trailers, and 46,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 825,000 rentable storage units and 71.6 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul has also been recognized as one of the top 100 Healthiest Workplaces in America for the past two years.
One of their most unique benefit offerings, Virta, is a science-backed Type II diabetes reversal program that is offered to anyone on the health plan at no cost. In 2021, U-Haul witnessed $722,730 in prescription savings due to 97% of their population enrolling in the RX Saving Solutions program. Additionally, U-Haul saw 11,000 visits in 2021 for telemedicine, reflecting the growing level of desired access to quality care through telehealth offerings. In 2021, U-Haul opened their onsite fitness center, the Shoen Center, a 54,208-square-foot complex on their headquarters campus in Phoenix.
"The Shoen Center has improved both my mental and physical health. It brings back a college campus feel for me, and I have really enjoyed using the basketball court and meeting colleagues I don’t typically get to engage with. I personally never had a primary care doctor, so having the Healthier You Clinic onsite is extremely convenient for scheduling purposes. Overall, everything the well-being program has done has helped increased my quality of life." - Anonymous
2nd McCarthy Building Companies – St. Louis, Missouri (Local Office: Los Angeles) – 6,047 Employees
For more than 150 years, McCarthy has been a leader in the construction industry, with projects in nearly every state, with various markets, including healthcare, universities, educational facilities, government entities, and much more.
As a repeat applicant, McCarthy is continuously innovating on their employee health benefits plans and resources. The personalization available through their approach speaks highly to the value that McCarthy places in employee-owners and families. Even before the pandemic, the construction industry ranked as one of the top industries for suicide due to the rigorous job requirements and stress.
In early 2021, McCarthy expanded offerings surrounding mental health awareness through the launch of the McCarthy “Genuine Care" Mental Health program, designed to break the stigma surrounding mental health through increased conversations. Additional resources were created to promote conversation during daily toolbox talks, safety moments, and national meetings. They have also communicated the free resources available through their EAP, highlighting that the program does not limit the number of covered therapists visits and limiting the barriers to appropriate care.
3rd Accenture – Chicago, Illinois (Local Office: Los Angeles) – 57,000 Employees
Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud, and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, they offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services, powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers.
Last year, Accenture deployed several programs to ensure that employees’ families are also being well-cared for. Utilizing Weallthy, a caregiver concierge service that provides caregiver support to employees and their families, they saved Accenture employees 44,000 hours in 2021. Each employee using this platform is matched with a Care Coordinator to help manage care for themselves and their loved ones with scheduling appointments, refilling prescriptions, sourching in-home aides, and reviewing insurance bills.
"I have used Wellthy for more than four months to help with my home care after I had spine surgery in October 2021. I cannot say enough about how wonderful Wellthy is to have as a benefit. The Care Advocate I've been working with is amazing. She has been with me every step of the way — before, during and after my surgery. She makes sure the homecare agency that we work with stays on top of my needs as I recover." – Anne Rader, Population Health Principal
4th CBIZ – Cleveland, Ohio (Multiple Local Offices) – 5,192 Employees
5th NextEra Energy, Inc. – Juniper, Florida (Local Office: Blythe) – 15,000 Employees
6th CGI Technologies & Solutions, Inc. – Fairfax, Virginia (Local Office: Los Angeles) 13,426 Employees
The Healthiest Employers® survey is scored and powered by Springbuk, a health intelligence platform that simplifies data-driven decision-making with an intuitive user experience, predictive modeling, and curated action steps. The assessment is scored rubric style on a 1-100 scale. Since 2009, Healthiest Employers has been the leading recognition program for employee wellness. Today, we currently host award ceremonies in over 45 regions across the country and applicants are not only eligible for local recognition, but also have the chance to earn a spot on the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America. This national award takes the highest scoring applicants from all locations, company sizes, and industries. To sign up for the Healthiest Employers newsletter and get more information on our events, join our mailing list today!
