EXCLUSIVE: JP Morgan is to relaunch its New Year’s resolution-focused wellness programme in 2013.
The programme, which was first launched in January 2012, will include a webinar on beating the winter blues, how to set achievable health and wellbeing goals, information on healthy eating, weight-management programmes, and discounted gym membership.
Adam Brooke, employee benefits manager (UK) at JP Morgan, said: “It’s a broad programme to reflect the variety of resolutions employees have, but it’s all branded as New Year.
“With something like New Year’s resolutions, we are saying, try to treat it as manageable objectives that you can achieve. You are going to make this change, and it’s actually realistic to you as well.”
The gym membership, provided by GymFlex, is a 12-month scheme that is part of the investment bank’s flexible benefits plan. For the 2013 programme, for the first time, employees will be able to sign up to shorter contracts that will take them up April when they will be able to join the full scheme during the organisation’s flexible benefits enrolment period. “It’s a taster, a short-term option,” said Brooke. “If you get through the first few months, you can sign up for the full year during flex enrolment.”
The New Year’s resolution programme is part of JP Morgan’s larger health and wellbeing programme, Wellness Works, which was introduced in early 2011 following an employee opinion survey.
Brooke said: “It was identified that, while we do have a lot going on in the wellness space, employees didn’t identify what actually fit within a wellness programme. Off of the back of that, we decided to brand an offering. It has grown over time.”
The firm sends out quarterly emails to all UK employees, listing all the events being run around wellness, and highlighting the health benefits on offer. Brooke added: “The first three months of the year will be around the New Year’s resolution, and highlighting all the things available to employees.”