'Work@Health' program helps Oklahoma businesses boost employee wellness, productivity

Health departments across Northeast Oklahoma are recruiting businesses to join their “Work@Health” program—a training initiative designed to help employers create healthier, more productive workplaces.

The program targets companies in Craig, Delaware, Mayes, Nowata, Ottawa, Rogers, Wagoner, and Washington Counties, and offers resources to build or enhance wellness efforts focused on physical activity, nutrition and mental health.

AAON Sees Early Success with Wellness Efforts

Tulsa-based manufacturing company AAON joined the program last year. While the company already had some wellness programs in place, staff say the “Work@Health” training helped them tie it all together with clearer goals and strategy.

Eric Taylor, a senior product engineer at AAON, helped lead the company’s internal efforts. The training inspired the company to launch a wellness committee and organize lunch-and-learn events covering topics like mental health, exercise and healthy eating.

“You’re at work 8–10 hours a day,” Taylor said. “And this is a place that you can learn about health and stuff and be a healthier person. You don’t always have that opportunity at home, but we have that opportunity here to educate and help people meet their goals.”

Improvements in Attendance and Morale

Since launching the new initiatives, Taylor says he’s noticed meaningful changes across the workplace—from higher attendance to stronger morale.

“We have about 2,000 people here that work at AAON so the health and wellness of our employees is very important,” Taylor said. “We can’t build our commercial HVAC equipment if we don’t have people that are healthy and well to come in and build them.”

How to Join the Program

The Oklahoma State Department of Health is continuing to enroll businesses located in Craig, Delaware, Mayes, Nowata, Ottawa, Rogers, Wagoner, and Washington Counties.

Training for organizations and businesses will take place June 26-27 in Claremore.

Employers interested in enhancing their worksite health programs are encouraged to sign up.

To be eligible, employers must be headquartered in the U.S., provide health insurance, and employ at least 20 individuals.