2006 Healthy Workplace Award Winners

Psychologically Healthy Workplace Winners 2006
Read the 07 National Healthy Workplace Award presentation

Yvonne Brooks, CEO of HSI.	High Sierra Industries, Reno Winner - Small non-profit categoy High Sierra Industries is a center which provides employees with meaningful work, guided learning, and supported living opportunities for people with disabilities. They offer jobs to approximately 200 people in Northern Nevada in their Community Training Center, Supported Living Arrangement Program, and at the Fallon Naval Air Station in ground maintenance. We found them to be an impressive example of a psychologically healthy workplace. There is a pervasive climate of caring and concern for every employee. Program development is the responsibility of everyone in the company, and employees appreciate and enjoy the various programs that they have developed cooperatively. Employee involvement is a major goal at HSI, as they want their employees and staff to always feel they have a voice in all that is taking place. This company has numerous benefits, incentives, and opportunities for enhancement and career advancement. They have a special events committee, staff training, computer classes, employee recognition programs, and much more. All of the employees our site visitors spoke with described HSI as “a great place to work”. The over-riding impression given by the employees is that HSI is a place where they feel a strong sense of community, and they love working there. For these reasons, as well as for their commitment to psychological health in the workplace, the Nevada State Psychological Association presents High Sierra Industries with the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award for a Small, non-profit organization.

HSBC Las Vegas Winner - Large for-profit categoy HSBC Las Vegas, a card services corporation, shows an overall commitment to the well-being of employees and their families through programs which are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Programs to promote a psychologically healthy workplace include: an on-site fitness center and massage therapist; a state-of-the-art family center with extended-hour child care and an accredited kindergarten; an adoption assistance program; an on-site prenatal program; free on-site family portraits; health screenings with a monetary incentive; a club-ride program for those in need of transportation; scholarships for the children of employees; a 24 hour, 7 day per week elder assistance program; and an extensive community involvement program. HSBC has been recognized for four years in a row by Working Women’s Magazine as a family-friendly place to work. Through a year-long healthy workplace initiative, the company has redesigned the work environment to help employees stay well, manage stress, and maximize their performance. Large plasma-screen TVs throughout the facility continuously transmit informational and inspirational messages to the employees. There is a culture of open, ongoing communication between employees and management. ALL employees are actively engaged in continuous quality improvement efforts. They have an employee engagement survey every 18 months, sharing results with employees through focus groups. The company also provides a variety of cash and travel awards to top-performing employees, and promotes employee growth and development through a comprehensive training program which includes mentoring, and international rotational assignments for all levels of employees. HSBC’s philosophy is one of corporate social responsibility. Through a wide range of community involvement activities, the company enhances employees’ growth, cohesion and natural support. HSBC’s motto is: “We are all about people”. For their commitment to the well being of their employees, the Nevada State Psychological Association presents HSBC, “The World’s Local Bank” with the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award for a Large, for-profit organization.	Kimberly Barber, Director of Human Services

Representatives of NFCU including Beth Galofaro, Assistant Vice President for Human Resources. Michael Traficante, Vice President for human Resources, NFCU and Rick Vaillancourt, Nevada State Director for the Society for Human Resource Management	Nevada Federal Credit Union, Las Vegas Winner - Medium non-profit category The Las Vegas Nevada Federal Credit Union is an organization that demonstrates a commitment to practices and policies which foster employee health and well being, while maintaining its impressive organizational performance. Their employee involvement practices are creative and all encompassing. They take care of their employees through programs such as “Employees R Us” their employee relations committee, their anonymous and confidential Employee Opinion Survey Program, their mentoring program, and their town-hall-like Donut patrol. As a financial institution, they offer the “Balance” program, which is a comprehensive financial fitness program providing educational information and counseling to help employees make the most of their personal finances. Nevada Federal recognizes that their best resources for recommendations and support for improvements needed within the organization are their employees. To that end, Nevada Federal has some outstanding programs and policies which truly support the employees. Their 17 employee recognition programs include: The Sherlock Holmes Award, the Ambassador of Courtesy Designation, Corporate Moments, and The Kudos 2 U Award, to mention just a few. They are also committed to supporting employees who elect to participate in community organizations and philanthropic events for humanitarian or public-service reasons. To this end, they have established the Helping Employees Reach Out (HERO) Program in the interest of providing that support. Further, they focus on promoting and managing diversity to maintain an environment of acceptance where all differences are supported and valued and where each employee can develop to their full potential. It is for their commitment to excellence in all areas of psychological health and well being, both in their own company and in their community, that we of the Nevada State Psychological Association award Nevada Federal Credit Union of Las Vegas the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award for a Medium non-profit organization.

St. Mary's Health, Reno Winner - Large non-profit categoy The mission statement of St. Mary’s Health is “to provide a healing presence to people of all faiths” by offering quality healthcare that “restores, preserves and promotes physical, mental and spiritual well being”. This gives guidance to how the company provides for employees, patients and the community. The dedication to their mission permeates the attitudes of both employees and management throughout the facilities. They provide for healthcare, offering a comprehensive benefit package which includes competitive wages, healthcare, adequate time off, flexible scheduling for work-life balance and a retirement plan which is rare in the healthcare industry. St. Mary’s also provides a state-of-the-art health fitness center, in-house childcare, an EAP walk-in health clinic, and ample opportunity through numerous programs for employee growth and development. Additional benefits to employees include the Leadership Academy, a crisis support loan program for employees in financial need, and numerous opportunities for employee feedback and recognition. St. Mary’s is seen as a haven for those who work there. It is clear that as the employees’ needs are being met by their employer, they are then better able to meet the needs of each other and the community they serve. For the comprehensiveness of their program and their employees’ resulting dedication to excellent service at all levels, we of the Nevada State Psychological Association are proud to award St. Mary’s Health with the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award for a Large, non-profit organization.	Representatives of St. Mary's Health including Sharon Lanier, Director of Human Relations

Best Practices Award Winners 2006

Kris Gaw, Vice President of Human Resources	Renown Health, Reno Winner - Large non-profit categoy With 5 sites and nearly 5000 employees in Northern Nevada, keeping their finger on the pulse of their employees to ensure a healthy workplace environment is no small task for Renown Health. At Renown Health, the key to facilitating active involvement and promoting a healthy workplace is engagement. Because of their intense commitment to increasing employee engagement, they have brought in a Gallup Survey to assess the entire process, in order to ensure that programs and policies are designed around this concept. Instituting the organization-wide survey and implementing improvement processes based on employee responses and input has resulted in reduction of absenteeism, increased employee retention, increased productivity, and improvements to financial performance. In a culture where employee engagement is key, Renown Health has used an innovative method for creating an environment where employees feel like they are important to the overall functioning of this vital organization. For their commitment to engagement of all employees as well as to ensuring the four fundamentals of service, quality, stewardship, and people, which define the essence of their culture, the Nevada State Psychological Association presents Renown Health with this Best Practices Award for a Large, non-profit organization.

Vitals, Inc., Reno Winner - Small for-profit categoy Bob Linden, whose company won one of last year’s Best Practice awards, said that his goal was to “create an environment where all employees can thrive, not just survive!” Dianna Sutherland and Patricia Hudson, President and Vice-President of Vitals, Inc., and their employees have created such an environment. At Vitals, Inc., a medical and health care billing outsource company, all of the employees seem to thrive! The Vitality of Vitals is infectious. A sense of camaraderie and an air of enthusiasm permeates the offices. Management understands the importance of never asking a person to choose between their family and their job. They have 20 full-time female medical billing agents, and management expects that they will be with their children when they are sick, have a school play, program, or sporting event. What the employers get in return for their outstanding flex-time policy are “happy, loyal, non-stressed employees”. Once a month they close their offices for “Field Trips”. They take the office staff to lunch, movies, miniature golf, bowling, and on many trips. These trips allow staff to interact as friends and not just co-workers. They have put a large freezer in the remodeled kitchen which they use for storing their Schwann’s Food orders for their home dinner-time convenience. They have a play / sick room for the children, and emphasize, both in thought and behavior, that their programs and policies are aimed at insuring that Vitals, Inc. functions like a family. For their outstanding practices in creating work-life balance with an excellent flex-time policy and their emphasis on family, the Nevada State Psychological Association presents Vitals, Inc. with this Best Practices Award for a Small for-profit organization.	Representatives of Vitals, Inc. including Patricia Hudson, Vice President of Vitals, Inc.