Civilian Wellness Program encourages healthy living at work

By Guv Callahan, Pentagram Staff WriterSeptember 30, 2015

Civilian Wellness Program encourages healthy living at work
Debra Ramos participates in the first Commandant Henderson memorial swim challenge Oct. 17, 2014, at Zembiec Pool on the Henderson Hall portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. The Civilian Wellness Program allows participating civilian employees s... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

Employees looking to work some fitness into their day should consider the Civilian Wellness Program, which gives federal civilian employees an incentive to take part in physical fitness activities during work hours.

The program, available to all U.S. Army Installation Management Command employees, is a contract between an employee and their supervisor in which the employee takes one hour, three days a week for six months to participate in some form of physical activity, said Ken Washington, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall's Human Resources director. Instead of working the regular eight hours on those days, participants only have to work seven. Employees are allowed to participate in the program once in their careers.

"They can go to the fitness center if they want to, or they can just go out and walk for an hour," Washington told The Pentagram. "They can go run for an hour …We're trying to encourage all of our workforce to do those kinds of things that promote healthy lifestyles."

The program was first rolled out on JBM-HH in 2010, Washington said. And even though the program only lasts six months, one of the goals is to get employees to take stock of their physical fitness and continue to stay active and fit after the program ends.

"Some of the feedback was just astonishing," he said. "People were talking about how much weight they lost, how much better they felt. The whole thought process was perhaps if employees would see the value of being on a wellness program for six months, then they might want to continue on their own."

Before employees can participate in the wellness program, they must complete a personal readiness assessment.

If, for instance, an employee has a heart condition or a history of fainting, he or she is required to get a doctor's approval before taking part in the program. Once approved, an employee must also sign a waiver form so that JBM-HH is released of any liability if an injury should occur during participation in the program.

Employees are allowed to use JBM-HH fitness facilities, including the fitness center, basketball and tennis courts.

"If employees are critical to the fiber of the success of the Army, then just as we invest in the wellness of our Soldiers, we also want to invest in the wellness of our employees," Washington said.

He encouraged participants to sign up for the program during a time when they could truly commit to it. If an employee is particularly busy with children going back to school in the fall, then waiting for the spring and summer months might be better, he said.

"Try to fit it into when it works for you best," he said. "If we want to be a resilient Army, then that crosses all of our spectrums: our Soldiers, our civilian employees, our contractors."

For more information about the Civilian Wellness Program, contact the Human Resources Office at 703-696-5779.