Interview with SME Occupational Health Awards Winner A.B. May

AB May

2018 Global Healthy Workplaces SME Awards Winner

A.B. May is a local, family-owned business of 250 employees providing home services in the Kansas City area. The owners play a visible leadership role in driving and living the 12 elements of great management which are designed to empower all employees. The holistic health programme is rooted in the five pillars of wellbeing: physical, financial, purpose, social and community. Success is measured by a comprehensive scorecard, engagement surveys, company driven data and a vision traction organizer. A.B. May credits its increased profits, increased engagement and decreased turnover to its health and wellbeing programme.

The Global Centre for Healthy Workplaces spoke to A.B. May after their Awards success to find out more about their program and future challenges.

GCHW: What are the key elements, which make your healthy workplace program successful?
JT Galloway: The key elements which make our program successful could be broken down into 2 main parts: Manager engagement and employee ownership. With manager engagement, their direct reports will know what is important, and act similarly but with the freedom to put their own strengths forward on how to live out our values. These feed each other and build momentum for initiatives.

Shirley Posladek: Commitment from senior leadership that whatever the business is, we are in the business of people.  People matter, they count.  The overarching vision of “helping people thrive”.  It is a holistic view of people’s needs and provides a platform for them to enter into benefits and programs they are ready to begin.  Listening to co-workers and letting them build the platforms they want.

GCHW: Where do you see the main challenges of creating a healthy workplace in the future?
JT Galloway: In the future, I still believe the main challenge of creating a healthy workplace will be in having managers and owners genuinely exemplifying what they want from their employees. These actions and beliefs will always be difficult to stick to when adversity comes around to show they prioritize values over profit.

Shirley Posladek:

  • Creating an environment of trust.
  • Rising costs to good health
  • Focus on symptoms over causes
  • Perceived cultural stigmas to healthy choices
  • Changing learned behaviors

GCHW: What are your takeaways from the Global Healthy Workplace Summit in Bergamo?
JT Galloway: The main takeaways for me from the summit in Bergamo was that with this work being incredibly important, there’s unbelievable opportunities worldwide for positive growth and change. This only gets done by collaboration, intentional work, and employee-centered focus.

Shirley Posladek: There were so many professionals that are working every day to provide information and strategies for people to live long, healthy lives.  We were very impressed with the presentations and research.  The data agrees that there is much we can do to affect our own health and the workplace is a natural place to help people make healthy decisions.

To view A.B. May’s profile and Awards presentation visit: https://www.globalhealthyworkplace.org/profile/ab-may-sme-employer/

 

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