K&M Tire, a national tire distributor headquartered in Delphos, Ohio, leads by example when it comes to improving employee health.
“At K&M, we have established vision and mission statements and eight core values that help guide all of our decisions across our entire business,” explains Greg Ring, director of training and development. “Our mission statement is: ‘We are dedicated to continuous improvement and providing our customers with quality products at competitive prices with fast, friendly service.’ The ‘continuous improvement’ commitment was a key driver in our efforts to promote and encourage good health habits among our K&M associates.
“We work to get better at everything we do every day and it really does start with the improvements we make with ourselves,” he continues. “Our team is actively engaged in a variety of areas involving developing better health habits.”
Pushing this mindset from the top down, management at K&M has worked for many years to create a company culture that encourages fitness and healthy choices. In October 2015, a fitness center was opened at the corporate office, featuring a variety of equipment, machines, yoga mats and free weights.
“It offers options for everybody,” Ring says. “The fitness center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our employees are very busy and making time for the gym can be a challenge. By having it onsite, our team members can select a time that fits their schedule.”
Through K&M’s health benefits plans, employees are able to qualify for a lower rate by participating in a “Best Life Program” that rewards them based on achieving healthy target ranges on metrics such as blood pressure, weight, BMI and for being nicotine-free. Other programs include the Virgin Pulse pedometer program, which provides cash awards for achieving both health and fitness education and for actually taking a target range of steps.
“Employees can issue challenges to others in the program and it creates a spirit of energy, encouragement and fun competition,” Ring says. “K&M also offers partial reimbursement of health club memberships, weight loss programs and race fees such as 5K, half marathons and marathons. Participation in these events is very popular and has really helped keep our team focused on having fun together and staying fit.”
He suggests that dealers looking to establish wellness goals check into local resources, such as the local YMCA, or contact their health insurance provider.
“When employees start making better health decisions and getting more fit, they tend to have more energy, feel better and miss less work,” Ring adds. “It’s an all-around benefit for our team both when they are at work and when they are enjoying their time with their families.