The City of Gastonia has been recognized as one of the Charlotte area’s healthiest employers with 500-1,499 employees. The City offers a comprehensive approach to wellness that can impact employees’ lives for the long-term. An application submitted with questions about the City’s employee benefits, insurance offerings, wellness activities, on-site clinic offering, as well as other health benefits was reviewed to determine how the City takes proactive measures to support the overall wellbeing of its employees.
“We are proud to be recognized again this year as one of the Charlotte area’s healthiest employers,” said Assistant City Manager Adrian Miller. “We believe health and wellness is important to our employees and to those seeking to live, work and play in our great city. This recognition reflects the hard work and dedication by our wellness team to our employees.”
The City of Gastonia’s benefits program, insurance plans, health coaching, on-site clinic wellness programs provide the means for employees to make necessary changes that can impact their lives. By providing many wellness options, the City believes employees can find a program to them to help them reach their health and wellness goals.
What makes Gastonia’s program stand out?
More than 80% of City of Gastonia employees participated in wellness programs over the last year in challenges for weight management, daily walks, fitness coaching and the annual health fair with biometric screenings. Over the past 12 months, 94% of employees completed on-site annual screenings, with 51% meeting an incentive for healthy waist or improving waist circumference. Currently 48% of eligible employees are enrolled in a voluntary program to manage diabetes. The city offers a mental health first aid workshop for employees who are interested in strengthening their understanding of mental health supports.
About the Healthiest Employers Award
The mission of the Healthiest Employers of Greater Charlotte Awards, sponsored by the Charlotte Business Journal, is to honor employers that are continually bettering the lives of their employees Each employer that applied for an award received numeric scores on a range of health- and wellness-related issues, including health insurance, paid leave, programs to address employee mental health and burnout, wellness programs, and COVID-19 protocols.