DJ Galvanizing has launched a monthly wellness program for its employees that focuses on musculoskeletal health.
“We had a time where we were seeing a lot of strains and pulled muscles,” says Kristi Farmer, accounting and benefits co-ordinator at the Windsor, Ont.-based manufacturer. “As our workforce is aging, we’re focusing on the [musculoskeltal] injuries and core strength.”
The organization has 88 employees, more than half of whom are baby boomers. Through a partnership with the University of Windsor’s nursing program, Farmer has set out a range of wellness topics for each month in 2016 that focuses on preventing musculoskeletal injuries.
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Each month features a new 25-day challenge for employees. “The first month was a plank challenge,” she says. “You start with a couple of seconds of a plank and then every day you ramp up. We’ve done wall sits, lunges and bridges, and April was crunches. It’s all about building up your core muscles and trying to give you more control over your body movements, which will hopefully reduce MSD injuries in the future.”
Employees can access the program online by logging into a program and answering whether they’ve completed the day’s activities. Once completed, points go towards their team.
“I get a report at the end of the month that shows how many people participated, which team won, and then there are prizes for the winning team and a draw for all the participants, such as a $20 gift card,” says Farmer.
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On top of these monthly challenges to help employees focus on their musculoskeletal health, DJ Galvanizing also sends out a daily information email: Motivation Mondays, Teaching Tuesdays, Workout Wednesdays, Thirsty Thursdays and Financial Fridays.
“We’re trying to tie in anything that’s current, whether it’s Prostate Cancer Month or Cancer Awareness, into our daily emails.”