INTRODUCING THE HEALTHIEST 100 WORKPLACES IN AMERICA
Shamrock Foods Company
Improving Employee Health Through Community Relief
November 9, 2021
Ranking: #7
Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona
Full-Time Employee Count: 4,602
About: Shamrock Foods Company is a privately held, family-owned and operated company founded in 1922. They specialize in the manufacturing and distribution of food and food-related products through a family of companies, including Shamrock Foods, the largest independent foodservice distributor in the West, and Shamrock Farms, one of the largest family-owned and operated dairies nationwide.
Mary Ann Larracas, the organization’s Director of Benefits, shares the success of their programming initiatives below.
Q: What specific element of your program is moving the needle for your well-being program and positively affecting your employees' health?
A: We have implemented so many programs at Shamrock that contribute to the health and well-being of our associates. Push notifications and the ability to provide constant communication to our employees has been a major contributing factor to the success of our program.
A focus here at Shamrock is physician engagement and assisting our associates in making healthy behavior changes to address their overall health goals. By also adopting an expanded preventative medication list, we are providing 100% coverage for medications, resulting in greater medication adherence.
Next, our wellness application, powered by Wellworks and Accolade, assisted our associates in navigating our extensive suite of programs while providing easy access to care and quality information through their mobile application. Shamrock’s state-of-the-art onsite clinics provide annual screenings to our associates and their families, helping reduce gaps in care and providing many convenient services.
Mental health has been addressed through Teladoc, our onsite clinics, Marketplace Care Partners, and our EAP. Our expanded EAP helped our associates manage life’s daily challenges through access to a dedicated onsite counselor, as well as onsite Chaplains, who support our associates.
Lastly, we provide financial education through Fidelity, Rowland Carmichael Advisors. Our associates can access this information through our communication strategy delivered through our internal desktop/mobile app called “The Shamrock Dish.” Additionally, Marlin TV communication boards can be visible in each facility.
"We strive to find the conduit for each associate to have a healthier lifestyle, regardless of their current level of health. I am most excited about the continued decrease in complicated health-related matters that we’re seeing. This is in thanks to our associates' commitment to annual wellness visits and early detection. We truly believe this is the best way to improve health and wellness, and we will continue encouraging these preventative habits, including strong doctor-patient relationships, regular annual exams, and easy access to healthcare providers through Shamrock Total Wellbeing." – Corey Gilchrist, Vice President of Total Rewards and HRIS
Q: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, how did your organization work to create a "Pandemic Plan" and what factors did you take into consideration when making these decisions? What effects of this plan are still in motion today and/or in the foreseeable future?
A: Shamrock Foods Company has taken a 360-degree approach with our associate health and well-being during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We began by providing the essentials, including PPE workplace sanitization kits and wellness and temperature checks at our distribution and manufacturing facilities. Enhanced cleaning procedures were implemented across all locations, in-person meetings were moved online, and “Work Your Way” work-from-home was introduced for those able to do so. To help with the retail food shortages, we were able to open our Shamrock Foodservice Warehouse retail locations one hour before official store opening for associates only. For our employees’ personal health, we quickly initiated virtual doctor visits through Teladoc and nurseline chats through UMR, as well as DailyPay waived fees, financial help through Fidelity, and prescription delivery through Optum. We also implemented onsite COVID-19 testing provided through Concentra for associates and their families, and we offer a COVID-19 symptom checker through Accolade.
As we continued to emphasize our focus on mental wellbeing, we expanded free mental health assistance through the EAP, Marketplace Chaplains, and Optum Health. We also regularly share tips and resources for staying healthy through all communication channels. Shamrock’s essential workforce kept the state’s food supply strong through the pandemic. Our employees carried out their daily job duties, and they also volunteered to pack food boxes for the “USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program,” which Shamrock has provided over 22 million meals to families in need.
These initiatives are still underway and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
Q: What makes your well-being program stand out? Relatedly, what statistic best captures the success of your program's effectiveness in the past 12 months?
A: The Shamrock Total Wellbeing program is a critical component of our century-long philosophy of treating associates as family. The program supports the WHOLE person including physical health, happiness, community, learning, and wealth.
Our culture promotes healthy lifestyle choices through our Shamrock Wellness Rewards Program, which encourages strong associate-physician relationships through annual wellness visits to help identify health risks. In fact, preventative visits are up 5% over the past four years, and ER visits are down nearly 26%. Shamrock also provides access to an array of innovative programs such as concierge nonemergency surgery services, diabetes management, onsite state-of-the-art clinics, musculoskeletal therapy, and more. We recognize the reality of life and that sometimes we all need a little help. Shamrock believes in changing the conversation around behavioral health and we’re proud to offer onsite counseling services.
Giving back is a key pillar of our organization and associates are regularly provided opportunities to engage in charitable opportunities. We organize community activities that reinforce physical health, such as collaborative team participation in the Pat Tillman run and providing meals to those in need. Shamrock believes in lifelong learning and highly encourages professional development. When possible, Shamrock hosts onsite skills fairs and offers networking within our company. A great example of this is the Frances Collaborative, a forum that fosters leadership and encourages growth for women in business.
Shamrock also dedicates resources to help associates achieve financial health, including planning for retirement, savings plans and budgets, financial assistance, profit sharing programs, and more. Thanks to the continued support of our leadership, our emphasis on a holistic approach to health is and always will be a top priority.
"I’m proud of Shamrock’s progressive approach to the total wellbeing of our associate family. It’s more than just something we talk about – it’s a daily commitment. We’re driven by the mission to provide our associates with the best possible opportunities to maximize every aspect of their health. We take a holistic approach emphasizing not only physical health, but also happiness, community, learning, and wealth. The attention and implementation of several key initiatives, combined with next-generation communication strategies, places our associates’ health at the forefront of our mission. We truly treat our associates as family."
– Vince Daniels, Chief Human Resources Officer
To view the rest of our top 10 winners, check out our Healthiest 100 blog posts here!
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