Community

Providing wellness program for employees has various benefits not only for employees but for business as well. Research shows that workers feel more engaged when they feel organization care for them, there is lower turnover, and better financia performance.

Resources:

• Working Well Tookit NJ Department of Health provides a free wellness working kit. .
• WebMD 10 Examples of Workplace Wellness Programs
• What do Workplace Wellness Programs do? Evidence from the Illinois Workplace Wellness Study
• Wellhub

Action: Describe the actions taken to implement the Workplace Wellness Campaign program.  Provide measurable results, for example, sick days reduced and associated cost savings. 

• Maintain a good working relationship with building management on indoor environmental issues. 
• Place office furniture and equipment in locations based on the adequate air circulation, temperature control, and pollutant removal functions of the HVAC system. 
• Coordinate with building management when responsibility for design, operation, and maintenance of the ventilation system is shared. 
• Avoid procedures and products that can cause IAQ problems. 
• Integrate IAQ concerns into purchasing decisions. 
• Work with the building manager to ensure use of only necessary and appropriate pest-control practices; use nonchemical methods when possible. 
• Work with building management and the contractor before starting to remodel or renovate to identify ways of minimizing building-occupant exposure, and to ensure that the air-distribution system is not disrupted. 
• Encourage building management to develop a preventive IAQ management program following guidance issued by the EPA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 

Source: Indoor Air Quality in Commercial and Institutional Buildings 

 Action: Identify and describe action taken to improve the indoor air quality for your employees. 

• Train your staff in disability etiquette. 
• Have a pad of paper handy in case a customer is deaf or unable to speak. 
• Welcome service animals into your establishment. Service animals assist people with all types of disabilities, including individuals who are blind, deaf, have epilepsy, use wheelchairs, and many others. 
• Make sure your staff is aware of your business’s accessible features, policies, and practices, and is trained to respond accurately to questions about them. 
• Before denying a disability-related request, consider alternative solutions, which may include borrowing or renting equipment, providing curb or home delivery, retrieving merchandise from inaccessible shelves or racks, and relocating activities to accessible locations. Access will increase revenue and does not have to cost a lot of money. 
• Include customers with disabilities in your emergency evacuation plan. 
• Make sure that your business’s website is accessible. For example, provide “alt tags” (descriptive text) with images.  
• Use available federal tax incentives to make your business more accessible and to hire employees with disabilities. (See “Resources” below.) Many states also offer tax incentives. 
• Remember, people with disabilities are your customers. 

Source: American Disabilities Act – Quick Tips: Customer Services 

 Action: Identify policies and practices that you have implemented to help to welcome customers with disabilities.

Become involved in your local communtiy initiatives, this can be from helping with local clean ups to the working with youth initatives.

Action: Describe participation or sponsorship of community environmental or social projects or events (outreach to citizen groups, schools, etc.). 

You can help a community by adopting a cause or project.   You may even adopt a local team and support their efforts.  Examples of some programs in New Jersey are listed below: 

• Great Swamp Watershed Association- Adopt a Catch Basin
• Adopt-a-Road-Program
• Adopt-A-Street and Lot in Camden 
• Adopt-A-Lot in Newark 
• Adopt a Beach-Clean Communities Council

 Action: Describe actions you have taken to help your community by adopting a cause or project. 

Sustainable Jersey is a certification program for municipalities in New Jersey that want to go green, save money and take steps to sustain their quality of life over the long term.  Participating Communities accrue points by implementing actions in a variety of categories to become certified in the program.  Under the Local Economies category you will find an action for a Green Business Recognition Program. 

If your business is participating in your community’s Green Business Recognition Program please describe the steps you have taken to achieve recognition. 

 Action: Describe participation in your municipality’s Sustainable Jersey Green Business Recognition Program.