When BP Canada divested its natural gas businesses in the summer of 2010, it lost 75% of its workforce. At the same time, the company was positioning for significant growth through the development of new business. Employee retention and attraction became paramount, and benefits were put under the microscope.
A survey of the remaining 400 employees revealed that “a one-size-fits-all approach was not going to work,” says Doug Dickson, vice-president of HR. “Employees wanted more comprehensive and competitive benefits, with better work-life balance.”
In May 2012, BP launched the first phase of Elements for Life, a flex benefits plan and wellness program. It promotes four areas of health: physical, emotional, financial and social. BP Canada contracted an incentives-based wellness provider, Virgin HealthMiles, to administer and integrate the program with multiple other wellness vendors through a central online platform.
The flex plan includes a health spending account with a range of benefits in the four core areas, from gym memberships and alternative health services to elder-care expenses, estate planning and public transit passes. The wellness program, launched in September 2012, ties directly to the flex plan by enabling employees to earn HealthMiles points for up to an additional 3,000 flex dollars, as well as other prizes.
Employees in the wellness program receive a pedometer and download results to their personal online account on the central platform. An annual wellness calendar lists activities, contests and challenges, and the on-site HealthZone centre enables employees to check their blood pressure, weight and body mass index, the results of which are downloaded to their online accounts.
After just six months, 77% of employees had already reached level three out of the five possible levels for collecting points. Eighty-seven percent had enrolled in the wellness program, and two-thirds were taking the recommended number of steps every day. Seventy-one percent had used the HealthZone centre, and aggregate data show improvements in blood-pressure readings. Participation in green activities, part of the “social” health bucket, significantly reduced employees’ collective carbon footprint.
“The success we’ve had with our staff and their families inspires us to take this to the next level, and we hope it inspires others as well,” says Dickson. “We all have much more to do in the wellness space.”