BINGHAMTON, NY – The Collaborative Recovery Empowerment of the Southern Tier (CREST) is a cooperative effort between several workforce development organizations including Southern Tier 8 Regional Board, The Leadership Alliance, Kowalik & Associates , the Leatherstocking Education on Alcoholism/Addictions Foundation (LEAF), Broome-Tioga Workforce, The Family & Children’s Society, the Alcohol & Drug Council of Tompkins County, and Commerce Chenango, to develop a community culture of total wellness in the workplace as well as create a recovery to workforce pipeline for eligible jobseekers in recovery for their substance use disorder. Today, CREST partners gathered at FIVE South College Drive to announce the publication of a new report “Workplace Well-Being: A Real Strategy to Increase Your Business Productivity.”
The white paper report is the result of a survey of Southern Tier business leaders conducted in partnership with Organizational Wellness Learning Systems (OWLS), a leader in workplace wellness practices. Over the course of December 2021 through February 2022, respondents had the opportunity to answer questions regarding the impact of employee health on productivity and financial losses. On average, employers reported spending about 39% of their time at work each month dealing with the impacts of employee health, namely stress, burn-out, and mental health issues. Business leaders also had the opportunity to indicate which programs or resources would best aid them in implementing these workplace wellness practices, as over 50% of respondents indicated financial losses due to employee well-being concerns.
“To build a vibrant economy, you first need a healthy community, so we must focus on what makes us well. By centering wellness in the workplace, Southern Tier employers will be better equipped to address their employee needs and increase the health and productivity of their organizations” said Stacey Duncan, CEO of the Leadership Alliance, a strategic partnership between The Agency and the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce.
“It has been both profound and exciting to hear from business leaders across the region about the hopes they have for their businesses and the care they have for the wellbeing of their employees,” said Julie Dostal, Executive Director of LEAF, Inc. “Although the survey shows that there is a significant need for wellbeing services, it also indicates a strong willingness among leaders to provide opportunities for their workforce to access those services.”
A copy of the White Paper can be downloaded for free from the following CREST partner websites:
- https://theagency-ny.com/economic-development-resources
- https://southerntier8.org/regional-news/resources
- https://alcoholdrugcouncil.org/workplace-well-being-a-real-strategy-to-increase-your-business-productivity/
In the months ahead, the members of the CREST Team along with other local partners will provide key regional programming on workplace wellness to better educate area organizations on the business case for prioritizing employee wellness, in addition to providing some of the top requested trainings by business leaders. Southern Tier employers are encouraged to attend the Compassionate Business Lunch & Learn, scheduled for May 17th at 12:00 PM via Zoom, for a more in-depth presentation of the findings in the white paper. This June, date to be announced, the CREST Team will also be hosting a Manager Training on Stress, the number one requested program across Southern Tier business leaders. Organizations interested in attending the May 17th webinar should email Amy Williamson at acw@theagency-ny.com to RSVP. For businesses interested in learning more about future workplace wellness programming, contact Amy to join our CREST E-Mail List to stay up to date on local resources and future trainings, including the Manager Training on Stress this June.
Download a copy of the report here: http://theagency-ny.com/manage/storage/uploads/00000001747.pdf