How a South Carolina Company Boosted Morale at Work

Oct. 14, 2022

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina identifies companies in the state that make a difference for their employees’ health. Every year, the LiveLifeBlue awards program recognizes large employers in the Lowcountry, Upstate and Midlands.  

The pandemic forced this year’s winner in the Greenville region, Suminoe Textiles of America, to improve its wellness offerings. Christy Paysour, human resources manager for the company, shares what they have learned about promoting healthy habits for their employees. 

What the company offers 

In addition to routine COVID-19 and flu vaccine clinics, Suminoe’s wellness program supports employees with on-site dental and eye care, which makes it easier for employees to avoid using time off on routine medical appointments. 

These on-site offerings have increased the number of employees using the health insurance to the full extent. 

“The greatest benefit to this is the associates can do all of this at work. They have their families schedule appointments as well so they can do it together. Convenience sums it all up,” Paysour says. 

Here are a few other ways Suminoe aims to improve employee wellness: 

  • Safety shoe discounts for steel-toed shoes 
  • On-site chiropractor visits and massage chairs
  • Healthy food in canteen
  • Maternal mental wellness plan 
  • Monthly challenges with a personal trainer 

How BlueCross helps Suminoe’s efforts

The company has made a big push for employees to use My Health Toolkit®, the online portal and app that links members with all the tools they need to manage their benefits. 

The Health Hub is also a favorite tool for the company and the personal trainer to know which areas need to be targeted for improving health. The Health Hub is an online resource available to all employers that publishes monthly health related content including posters, infographics, social media graphics and website content. These include topics like heart health, diabetes, cancer screenings and much more. 

How the pandemic changed the programs 

The company noticed employees weren’t using their health insurance benefits as much during the pandemic. Skipping routine visits can have a major effect on health. Bringing those services on-site has made a big difference to employee wellness. 

“The pandemic forced us to do better. When we brought the care on-site, it served as such a benefit to our employees not having to use their time off, along with utilizing insurance policies they paid for but weren’t receiving the benefits of because of scheduling,” she says. 

What employees think of the programs 

Paysour says the most successful programs have been the on-site dental and vision benefits. These small changes have increased employee morale. 

“Our associates feel like we care more. Doing things for them that saves time in their home lives is so beneficial. We even opened these benefits up to families, and employees seem to appreciate that as well,” she says. 

The key takeaway

Paysour says her main lesson is to show employees you care. She encourages companies to think outside of the box to find resources in the community to improve employees’ lives. 

“Make sure they know you are listening to their needs, that you are doing what you can to relieve some of their everyday stresses. Work becomes family. We spend so much of our time here, and it’s important that we enjoy it. It’s also important that when we come to work, we are benefiting more than just a paycheck,” she says. 

four people holding the blue shoe award and smiling Hover image

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