At Ball Corporation, investing in our people has been and continues to be a critical part of our business. One way Ball does this is by investing in the health and well-being of our employees and their families. Our health and well-being programs are centered on one goal: to help our employees and their family members become healthier versions of themselves. Healthy people have a better quality of life and tend to be more productive in their work-a win-win for our employees, their families and for Ball.
To counteract the rising costs of health care and encourage our employees to be healthy, Ball began a formalized wellness program for North American employees in 2008 (more information below). Over time, we have seen grass-roots efforts take hold around the globe, building further on our culture of health. For example, in Europe, activities are tailored to individual locations, where Ball offers employees onsite health checks, smoking cessation counseling, fitness activities, healthy canteen food and educational opportunities.
In Asia, Ball provides free preventive check-ups, access to fitness rooms and other sports and recreational activities. In South America, Ball also offers free health examinations/annual check-ups, smoking cessation support, fitness activities (including pre-shift workout/stretch sessions) and healthy food options and/or subsidies, as well as other education materials and workshops.
In the future, we plan to develop a formal global health and well-being strategy and supporting policies.
SPECIFICS IN THE U.S.
In the U.S., where Ball offers company-sponsored medical insurance programs, we have ensured that employees have access to affordable, competitive and comprehensive health coverage. Ball also promotes good health for employees and their families outside of the insurance programs. In 2008, we introduced health fairs with biometric screenings at Ball's U.S. work sites, where employees could measure their:
- Body Mass Index (or BMI), which is the ratio of a person’s height to their weight
- Blood pressure
- Cholesterol and glucose (i.e., the amount of sugar in their blood) levels
- Tobacco use
Since then, we have held three additional national biometric screening events to encourage employees to "know their numbers." Additionally, we have sponsored an activity campaign, health risk appraisals, three worksite weight management programs, and personalized health coaching online and by phone.
In 2013, we began offering medical plans that encourage employees to focus on receiving high-quality care at affordable prices through better consumer behavior. Acting as smart consumers in the medical treatment space is important for two reasons:
- Receiving low-quality care results in unnecessary pain, suffering and stress associated with a medical issue. Ensuring our employees receive high-quality care is critical in helping with employee health and happiness, and an ability to continue contributing at work. Again, a win-win for our employees, their families and Ball. We continually look for ways to help our employees and their families get the best care at the best price, vetting new tools or services that remove some of the complexity of today's U.S. health care system.
- We started integrating "financial wellness" into our U.S. wellness program to help employees spend wisely and save for their future. This covers how to maximize savings using the quality/cost ratio for medical care, and how to save, invest and prepare for retirement more broadly. For example, we sponsor periodic "Financial Wellness Days," during which employees and their spouses can learn about Ball's 401(k) and pension programs, Health Savings Accounts, the basics of investing, estate planning and other topics associated with retirement savings.
Ball continues to invest in our employees' physical and financial well-being, resulting in a happy, healthy and highly-engaged workforce.