Gov. Howard Dean and the Vermont Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Honors presented Green Mountain Coffee Inc. with a 1999 Worksite Wellness Program Recognition Award.
The nine-year-old award recognizes large and small businesses, school worksites and municipalities for their efforts in promoting wellness within their organizations.
Green Mountain's wellness program, "Personal Priorities," was started in 1998 as part of the company's safety program. The wellness program includes an employee volunteer Wellness Team that focuses on wellness issues at the workplace and beyond.
Since 1992, Green Mountain has implemented a number of wellness programs, including a health club reimbursement benefit, which encourages employee physical fitness. Other Wellness Team efforts throughout the past year included:
- Giving employees 9-volt batteries for smoke detectors in order to promote fire awareness.
- Offering free flu shots to all employees.
- Giving blood pressure screening and seated chair massages to help employees deal with holiday stress.
- Distributing "Winter Survival Tips" information with employees paychecks.