In partnership with Springbuk, we are excited to announce our honorees for the 2023 Healthiest Employers of Greater Albany.
One of these organizations, AAA Northeast, was named to the 2022 Healthiest 100 Workplaces America award, ranking 66 among all applicants. We will announce the 2023 award winners in October of this year.
May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. Our Albany applicants are assisting the mental health and well-being of their population through the following methods:
- 100% offer bereavement policies and time off to grieve the loss of a loved one
- 90% have a dedicated relaxation or quiet space in office
- 80% offer access to apps such as Headspace, Calm, etc.
- 50% have counselors and/or therapists onsite
- 30% offer more than 14 weeks of paid maternity leave
Congratulations to the work that the following companies are doing in this space, as it has helped earn them recognition in this year’s Healthiest Employers of the Capital District awards program.
2 to 449 Employees
1st Repeat Business Systems, Inc. – Albany – 102 Employees
Repeat Business Systems, Inc. provides quality sales, leasing, service, and supplies for Ricoh and HP brand copiers, printers, and scanners. In addition, they manage print services, office automation software, mailing equipment, VOIP, and IT services.
Repeat Business Systems believes that their team's health and quality of life are its most important initiatives. This year, they added a ping pong table with weekly tournaments and self-defense classes to promote physical activity. The The company aims to foster an inclusive environment through DEI training, an onsite relaxation room, and monthly focus groups to offer feedback to leadership.
“The culture and atmosphere that we have is absolutely wonderful, and our overall wellness program is a part of that. Our senior leadership cares about every single person’s well-being, and it shows in our everyday routines and with all the special events and activities we have. I am happy and proud to say I work at Repeat Business Systems, and my colleagues feel the same.” – Wanda Rock, Director of HR & Administrative Services
2nd GTM Payroll Services – Clifton Park – 105 Employees
GTM Payroll Services specializes in easy-to-use payroll and human capital management (HCM) solutions and human resources (HR) consulting. Founded in 1991, their success and client satisfaction are based on industry-leading expertise.
One of the benefits at GTM that stands out is their backup childcare option which reduces stress for working parents when their child is ill and can’t attend school or daycare. It reduces time off and provides better work-life balance opportunities.
“I'm proud of our wellness programming for the depth and breadth of the monthly events we offer, the external experts and internal HR consultants our team can learn from, and the resources we provide. There is something for everyone who works at GTM. Our organization looks at the entirety of employee welfare, including the importance of physical, mental, and fiscal wellness, and providing the resources to take on any number of challenges life throws their way.” – Guy Maddalone, CEO
3rd Hudson River Community Credit Union (HRCCU) – Corinth – 75 Employees
Hudson River Community Credit Union (HRCCU) is a not-for-profit financial cooperative whose mission is to improve the well-being of members and their families by providing quality financial services, utilizing the latest technology with the best overall value.
HRCCU is known for focusing on work-life balance and financial support for employees. Specific positions are provided with hybrid work schedules, and they recently introduced birthday time off, allowing staff the opportunity to take a full day of PTO the week of their birthday. They also work to implement pay raises and market adjustments as often as possible to prevent stress surrounding financial hardships.
"At HRCCU, our mission is to improve the financial well-being of our members, but we are also committed to improving the health and well-being of our employees. We believe healthy employees make for a healthy organization, which is why we have chosen to ingrain our health and wellness program into our company culture. Over the years, our health and wellness program has helped support our team members’ physical, mental, and social well-being.” – Sue Commanda, CEO
500 to 4,999 Employees
1st AAA Northeast – Providence, Rhode Island (Local Office: Utica) – 3,097 Employees
For over a century, AAA Northeast has been a trusted and highly recommended brand. As one of the largest and most innovative membership organizations in North America, AAA Northeast is a nonprofit auto club with locations spanning six states. With their multi-business model, they provide millions of AAA members with reliable roadside service and specialized services like Loans and Banking, Insurance, Travel, Discounts, and Driver Training.
AAA Northeast offers a variety of benefits to our employee, but our continued commitment to mental health is our unique but critical focus. We partner with myStrength, which is a 100% club-paid subscription to a mental health resource. This program was introduced by our executive team and provides coaching, education, and tools surrounding a wide variety of conditions including stress and anxiety, depression, sleep issues, relaxation, and mindfulness on an easy-to-use mobile/smart device app or website.
“We have designed benefit offerings to be increasingly inclusive and flexible to meet individual needs. We contribute significantly to the cost of these benefit programs, and we are pleased to announce that for the third year in a row, AAA is absorbing increased costs while the benefit plan structure remains the same.” – John Galvin, President and CEO
2nd MVP Health Care – Schenectady – 1,554 Employees
MVP Health Care is a nationally-recognized, regional not-for-profit health plan, committed to having a positive impact on the health and wellness of everyone they serve. They are working to make health insurance more convenient, more supportive, and more personal.
One of the most unique benefits offered on behalf of the MVP Well-Being Program is the team-focused well-being sessions. Leaders are allowed to sign their teams up for resiliency training, wellness trivia, a well-being program overview, a stretch break, or a Success Coach sit-in. Lastly, 90% of employees who completed the annual survey indicated they believe MVP is committed to the health and wellness of its employees.
"MVP’s Well-Being Program has greatly improved my remote work lifestyle to be healthier, more engaged, and more fulfilling. From the moment I started as a new remote employee in 2021, the well-being programming jumped out at me during orientation. I participate in every program I can, and I couldn’t be more thankful to work for an organization that is living its vision of creating healthier communities by starting with the community of employees right here at MVP.” – Sarah Richburg, Professional, Enterprise Business Analyst
3rd Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan (CDPHP) – Albany – 1,316 Employees
Established in 1984, CDPHP is a physician-founded, member-focused, and community-based not-for-profit health plan offering high-quality affordable health insurance to members in 29 counties throughout New York.
CDPHP’s wellness program encompasses a total of eight dimensions of wellness: emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual. This approach allows employees to select the programs that are most relevant to their lifestyles and encourages them to explore new options.
“CDPHP employees appreciate the opportunity to learn and grow through the programs and education they access through ‘Healthy Together,’ no matter what phase of life they are in. The employee wellness program supports the mission for employees to be happy, healthy, safe, and secure, and personal testimonies of triumph remind us throughout the year of its success.” – Lori Cammett, Vice President of Total Rewards and HR Operations
5,000+ Employees
1st Regeneron Pharmaceuticals – Tarrytown – 10,090 Employees
Regeneron is a leading biotechnology company that develops life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led for 35 years by physician-scientists, their unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to multiple FDA-approved treatments and numerous product candidates in development, all of which were homegrown in their labs.
This past year, Regeneron added several initiatives to its well-being program, including mental health first aid training for managers, genetic testing, onsite biometric screenings for all locations, free financial counseling services, and free Medicare transition services for retirement-eligible individuals.
“Regeneron empowers our people to thrive personally and professionally, to work together to create positive change, and to promote an ethical culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This commitment underscores our philosophy of ‘doing well by doing good’ every day. This standard is integral to caring for our patients and colleagues at the core of who they are and supporting and encouraging a healthy culture at all levels. Our multi-faceted approach to employee health and wellbeing addresses the whole person by providing innovative programs that make valuable connections with employees.” – Smita Pillai, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
2nd National Grid – Waltham, Massachusetts (Local Office: Albany) – 16,525 Employees
National Grid is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States, serving more than 20 million people throughout New York and Massachusetts. They are committed to delivering safe and reliable energy to the customers and communities they serve.
In the past 12 months, enrollment in the well-being program has increased by 6% through continued communication and encouraging an onsite presence. Onsite athletic trainers have resolved 87% of musculoskeletal cases through early intervention and proactive wellness conditioning. Employee Resource Groups include wellness as a key objective, and healthy activity challenges are part of team meetings to promote positive habits and social connections.
“While physical, emotional, and mental well-being has always been a priority at National Grid, as evident in our Total Rewards offerings to our employees, leadership has understood the challenges facing employees since COVID-19 (and remote work) and has made adjustments to ensure our employees are well supported. We have reviewed all of our benefits offerings to ensure they are addressing the new challenges our employees face, and ensuring that our leadership is comfortable in speaking about the challenges with employees.” – Celeste Schneider, Chief People Officer, New York
3rd GlobalFoundries – Malta – 5,365 Employees
GlobalFoundries is one of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers, working to redefine innovation and manufacturing by developing feature-rich process technology solutions that provide leadership performance in high-growth markets.
GlobalFoundries Employee Assistance Program provides counseling services to focus heavily on mental and emotional well-being by targeting stressors such as financial issues, elder care hardships, and legal concerns. GF offers a wide range of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to assist in and encourage social and community well-being. ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups that foster a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with GF's organizational mission, values, goals, business practices, and objectives
“I became a GlobalFamilies (Employee Resource Group) member in 2019. I was an expecting mom, looking for some insight into our parental leave site policies, procedures, and parenting advice in general. I found GlobalFamilies through their annual spring event and was able to network with other parents. I enjoyed the camaraderie, advice, and events so much that I joined the GlobalFamilies Steering Committee after my maternity leave was up. I’m so thankful to have this community of peers as friends and colleagues.” – Alyssa Calabrese, Manager of Safety and Emergency Response
