October 23, 2024
Healthiest Employers® was started in 2009 as a way to celebrate companies that are putting their people first by investing in the health of their employees. In partnership with Springbuk, we are pleased to announce the 2024 Healthiest Employers of New Jersey.
Each company filled out our annual Healthiest Employers application. The responses are scored Rubric style 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 application to help rank among companies of similar sizes. For information on how the applications are scored, please visit our methodology page here.
In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, a heavily discussed topic has been whether to return to the traditional office or stay on a hybrid/remote work model. Our New Jersey applicants reported that:
- 5% work completely in the office or on-site
- 60% report that they are on a hybrid schedule with certain days/times in the office
- 30% only provide specific roles or teams with work-from-home opportunities
- 5% are considered a fully remote workforce with no required days in the office
150 to 999 Employees
1st Conner Strong & Buckelew
Camden
499 Employees
Conner Strong & Buckelew has become one of the largest and most respected insurance brokerage, employee benefits, and risk management consulting firms in the U.S. They provide risk and insurance services to various industries, including construction and life sciences. Additionally, they offer employee benefit services, such as health and wellness programs and strategic consulting, all aimed at improving outcomes for their clients.
Guardian Nurses is a team of Registered Nurses that helps patients understand their care options, offers support, and ensures they receive the most appropriate treatment. Their services include guidance and advocacy during hospital stays, researching treatment options, scheduling and attending appointments if needed, and coaching for managing chronic conditions, including mental health. Nurses act as personal advocates for employees and families, interacting with doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies. In Q4 2023, Guardian Nurses handled 34 referrals, prevented five ER visits, and expedited six urgent appointments, with cardiac and mental health issues being the most common.
The company emphasizes preventative care, achieving over an 85% participation rate in their annual physical and biometric screening program for employees and spouses/domestic partners covered by their medical plan. Through the BenePoint platform, employees earn incentive credits that reduce medical and prescription costs by completing these screenings, helping them prevent future health issues or catch them early when they are more treatable.
“At Conner Strong & Buckelew, we understand the importance of supporting the health and well-being of our employees and their families. We truly care about our employees. As such, we are committed to offering programs to encourage and support our employees. We invest in wellness and population health solutions to foster an environment of good health with a continued focus on mental health.” –Alexis Wolfson, Senior Partner Chief Human Resources Officer
2nd Pennrose
Philadelphia
527 Employees
Since 1971, Pennrose has focused on improving the lives of working families by creating safe and secure housing communities that enable residents to build fulfilling lives. Their legacy extends beyond the buildings they develop to include the positive impact on neighborhoods, the residents who live there, and the employees who uphold Pennrose's core values in support of its mission. Pennrose has earned a national reputation for excellence in real estate development and multifamily property management.
Pennrose offers a unique benefit program called ConnectCare3 (CC3), which provides a range of support tools for employees and their dependents on the medical plan at no additional cost. CC3 offers patient advocacy, nurse navigation, chronic disease management and prevention, nutrition education, tobacco cessation, and wellness consulting, supporting employee wellbeing in various ways.
For those managing chronic diseases or in a preventable stage (e.g., pre-diabetes), CC3 provides a team approach, combining clinical and lifestyle support. The team includes a registered nurse who helps employees understand and manage their diagnosis, prepares them for doctor visits, and ensures they follow up with essential screenings and tests. A health coach works with employees on lifestyle changes like sleep, exercise, stress management, and tobacco cessation, while a registered dietitian offers personalized nutritional advice based on the chronic condition, including tailored meal and snack suggestions.
CC3 also assists employees and dependents dealing with new or complex diagnoses. Nurses ensure patients fully understand their diagnosis, provide clear educational resources, help prepare for appointments, and recommend provider options when necessary.
“Our employees are our greatest asset and Pennrose is proud to offer a comprehensive wellness program to its employees to foster the overall wellbeing of our workplace. Analyzing our population's data and transferring the analysis into actionable results is important to us in making sure we are delivering well-being solutions applicable to our employees. With full support from our executive team, we invest heavily into a robust wellness platform and wellness incentives to promote the wellbeing of our employees and positive health outcomes. We appreciate your consideration for the recognition of this award.” –Kimberly Moffa, Vice President of Human Resources
3rd Seabrook
Tinton Falls
720 Employees
Seabrook, a continuing care retirement community in Tinton Falls, NJ, prioritizes the health and well-being of its team members as a core company value. The community offers industry-leading services to employees, promoting a holistic approach to workplace well-being. Seabrook believes that by taking good care of its team members, the residents who call Seabrook home will also benefit greatly.
Seabrook's communities provide full-service Employee Health and Well-being Centers, staffed by Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Medical Assistants, offering a wide range of free services to all employees. These services include care for acute injuries and illnesses, chronic disease management, health screenings, treatment of work injuries, lab work, prescription refills, annual physicals (including well-woman care), vaccinations, and more. A unique feature is the "Annual Well-Being Visit," a personalized session that reviews health goals, coping skills, stress management, and risk factors while ensuring employees fully utilize company benefits.
These services are free for all employees, regardless of insurance status, and can be accessed during paid work hours without needing to take leave or arrange transportation. In addition to managing work-related injuries, NPs coordinate workers' compensation cases in partnership with HR and third-party administrators. They also oversee a transitional duty program that allows injured workers to remain active within their work restrictions, minimizing costs and improving clinical outcomes. Injury data is reviewed regularly to guide safety initiatives and continuous quality improvements in work processes, ensuring employee safety.
“Our program meets people where they are and appreciates that not everyone has had the same experiences around wellness. Our providers tailor their approach, taking into account key principles of diversity and inclusion, and respecting people’s cultures and points of view. This allows them to nurture trusting relationships so that team members will open up and engage in meaningful conversations, becoming active drivers of their positive health outcomes. Our program has helped redefine what wellness means for our team members, introducing, to many, the concepts of holistic, comprehensive health. The team holds meditation sessions, strolls on beautiful days, and events such as Passion Walks to help team members get connected to the things they care about.” –Jennifer McNamara, Executive Director
1,000 to 4,999 Employees
1st AAA Northeast
Providence, Rhode Island (Local Office: Wayne)
3,306 Employees
For over a century, AAA Northeast has been a trusted and widely recommended brand. As one of the largest and most innovative membership organizations in North America, it operates as a nonprofit auto club with locations across six states. AAA Northeast provides millions of members with reliable roadside assistance and a range of specialized services, including loans and banking, insurance, travel, discounts, and driver training. The organization has long been an advocate for safe travel, supporting highway safety, road maintenance, and related legislation. AAA Northeast values a diverse workplace culture, investing in the talents, skills, and expertise of its employees, and offering award-winning learning and development resources to help them grow professionally. While continuing to expand and redefine its products and services, AAA Northeast remains focused on creating exceptional experiences for both members and employees.
The AAA Northeast wellness program is designed to be diverse, flexible, and tailored to individual employees' personal goals. It offers various rebates, including $125 annually for mental health support, $250 for fitness and weight management, $250 for child seats, $125 for safety glasses, $100 for shoes, $125 for smoking cessation, and a fully paid mental health subscription. In 2023, the organization paid $295,000 in wellness rebates, a 47% increase from the previous year.
The club’s online Virtual Health Fair in 2023 was a record-breaking success, attracting 3,520 visitors, 1,000 more than the prior year. It also saw 289 employees attending live sessions and receiving 333 feedback entries, contributing to 93% of benefit-eligible employees completing their Open Enrollment elections. In-person events, like Fleet Wellness Days, were also held for over 300 Fleet employees, offering services such as flu shots, massages, financial and ergonomic counseling, and healthy snacks.
“At AAA Northeast we take immense pride in prioritizing the well-being of our employees and their families through every decision and benefit offered. The club ensures that its benefits program is not only comprehensive and affordable but also sustainable and tailored to support employees through various life and career stages. The ultimate aim is to provide a sense of security, promote overall wellness, and provide peace of mind. Recognizing the importance of health and safety, the club invests in a total rewards program that encompasses physical, emotional, mental, and financial wellness, catering to the current and future needs of our employees and their families.” –Kristen Botelho Pires, Vice President of Total Rewards
2nd Ericsson Inc
Plano, Texas (Local Office: Pennsauken Township)
4,654 Employees
Ericsson is a leading provider of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to service providers. The company enables the full value of connectivity by developing innovative technology and services that are easy to use, adapt, and scale, ensuring customers' success in a fully connected world.
Ericsson’s E-Health Wellbeing Program focuses on four pillars of wellbeing: physical, financial, emotional, and social. The goal is to provide best-in-class well-being solutions that support employees in all four areas, creating a streamlined employee experience that drives high utilization, health outcomes, reduced medical spending, ROI, and increased productivity.
Ericsson addresses these pillars through various initiatives. For mental wellness, the company provides wellness webinars on work/life balance and mental health topics, focused communications during Mental Health Awareness month, and a corporate-wide mental well-being and meditation challenge. Physical well-being is encouraged through exercise challenges, daily walking breaks, biometric screenings, and flu shots at select locations. The social pillar is reinforced through E-health Yammer groups, monthly onsite walks, company team challenges, and the support of 67 MANA Wellness Champs.
Ericsson values its employees and aims to offer greater flexibility in work arrangements while maintaining a strong culture and sense of belonging. Offices and in-person meetings play a key role in building this culture, but the company also promotes flexibility in work locations to keep the culture and team spirit alive.
"Our people are key to ensuring Ericsson's future success, and our focus has been steadfast in enabling a work culture that supports our people in bringing the best version of themselves to Ericsson. We're proud of the success our E-Health wellness programs have achieved, and we're continuing to support the well-being of our employees in innovative and creative ways. We are focused on ensuring our employees stay well physically, mentally, and socially while at the office, or working from home." –Kevin Marcellus, Head of People North America
3rd Manhattan Associates
Atlanta, Georgia (Local Office: New Brunswick)
1,922 Employees
Manhattan Associates is a technology leader in supply chain and omnichannel commerce, integrating information across the enterprise to connect front-end sales with back-end supply chain execution. Their software, platform technology, and expertise help customers drive top-line growth and bottom-line profitability. Manhattan Associates designs and delivers advanced cloud solutions to support businesses across stores, networks, and fulfillment centers, enabling success in the omnichannel marketplace.
A financial well-being platform called Origin was recently launched for U.S. team members below the Director level. The platform helps employees manage their finances seamlessly, acknowledging the significant impact of financial health on overall well-being, including stress and relationship strain. Through the desktop or app, users can connect and view all their financial accounts in one place, including credit cards, loans, bank accounts, and investments. Real-time tracking of income, expenses, and subscriptions aids in budgeting. Origin also offers financial literacy lessons, on-demand webinars, and optional access to Certified Financial Planners, tax filing, and investment services. In just one week, over 120 employees registered for the program, a milestone that typically takes nearly a year to achieve for other programs.
“Over the last two years, we increased our emphasis on, and funding for, events that cover total well-being. From financial planning to decompressing through art, we effectively cover the gamut on a global basis. This supports our culture and provides reinforcement to managers and individual contributors that it is important to take time for our well-being at work.” –Suzanne Hough, Senior Vice President & Chief People Officer
4th Gilbane – Providence, Rhode Island (Local Office: Newark) – 3,100 Employees
5th Philadelphia Insurance Companies – Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania (Local Office: Ewing) – 1,939 Employees
6th StoneX – Kansas City, Missouri (Local Office: Warren) – 1,788 Employees
7th Sikich LLP – Naperville, Illinois (Local Office: Princeton) – 1,599 Employees
8th Ocean State Job Lot – North Kingstown, Rhode Island (Local Office: Sparta) – 2,629 Employees
9th AmTrust Financial – New York, New York (Local Office: Jersey City) – 4,420 Employees
10th Cedar Crest – Pompton Plains – 1,025 Employees
