Lindenwood University is home to about 1,000 employees both part time and full time, serving as one of the largest employers in the St. Charles area. The university takes a holistic approach when it comes to the wellness of its employees. The approach is not just focused on physical health, but also mental, financial, emotional, social, intellectual, and environmental health as well.

Through these efforts, the St. Louis Business Journal has awarded Lindenwood with the 2021 Healthiest Employer in St. Louis for the large employer category.

A few years ago, Lindenwood implemented one of its biggest initiatives, the Wellness Program, which is integrated into the medical insurance benefits the university offers.

Through this program, Lindenwood provides a monetary reward for healthy behaviors in the form of a medical insurance premium discount. Employees can earn points towards their incentive in a variety of ways including participating in wellness challenges, attending preventative care visits, volunteering, and countless other wellness activities and habits.

According to Lindenwood’s Benefits Director, Candace Terry, even more steps are taken to create a healthy work environment.

“We have been extremely dedicated to understanding our culture and crafting our communication strategy to be appealing, to the point, and easily digestible so that the message is not lost,” Terry said.

Collaborative efforts have created an inclusive environment that welcomes all levels of well-being. The Lindenwood campus hosts state-of-the-art fitness facilities, personal training opportunities, exercise classes, and educational resources that are complimentary to all employees.

Lindenwood continues to utilize aggregate data to measure clinical improvements that include reporting from wellness third-party claims administrator vendors, claims data from Lindenwood’s insurance company and broker, employee assistance program reporting, and on-site wellness programs.

“We are so proud at the progress that our employees have made towards well living and are honored to have been recognized as the Healthiest Employer this year,” Terry said.