2022 Healthiest Employers of the Bay Area

2022 Finalists

August 11, 2022

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In partnership with Springbuk, we are excited to announce our honorees for the 2022 Healthiest Employers of the Bay Area. 

This year, WalletHub named San Francisco the healthiest place to live in the United States. With an accomplishment such as this, it is no surprise that there are several employers in this area working to make this a reality. 

Some interesting trends among our Bay Area applicants include: 

• 94% offer financial classes and seminars to ease any anxiety associated with their personal finances
• 85% hold regular group diversity and education sessions
• 79% offer tuition reimbursement opportunities, and 64% provide employees with an annual stipend to attend conventions or courses to encourage furthering education
• 70% are using employee retention data to strategically plan their wellness programs
• 68% are on a hybrid schedule, and 21% work in the office full time, speaking to the need for socialization in the workplace
• 36% provide 71+ days of paid maternity leave, and 17% provide 71+ days of paid paternity leave to allow employees time to bond with their newborns
• 34% have an average tenure longer than seven years
• 21% have been able to decrease medical claims over the past 12 months despite rising healthcare costs
• 17% of these programs have been in place for more than 15 years

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2 to 349 Employees

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1st PAE – Portland, Oregon (Local Office: San Francisco) – 334 Employees

PAE is an engineering firm that designs high-performing buildings to keep people comfortable, healthy, and productive while restoring the natural work outside. 

Health, wellness, and workplace happiness are an important part of the culture at PAE. Sustainability is considered one of their main commitments as an organization, and employees receive fully paid commuter benefits by expensing their transportation methods to and from work Their medical plans incorporate Complimentary Alternative Medicine (CAM) offerings, including, acupunture, massages, and chiropractic care to provide an holistic approach to wellness. 

They also understand how important family and work-life balance are to employees, and provide their employees with more than three months of paid maternity leave and more than six weeks paid paternity leave. Additionally, they allow flexible scheduling options, offer employees a hybrid schedule, and also allow over a month of paid time off.

“One of the things that makes PAE special is our triple bottom line commitment – people, planet, and profit. Being a human resources professional, I particularly value our commitment to our people. It is exciting to see how we are continuing to support this commitment through our internal communities including Wellness, JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Women in Leadership, and Community Service. We strive to continue to be thought leaders in our industry and lead with ideas that are healthy, innovative, and sustainable. I’m proud to be part of a company that is committed to the wellness of both its employees and our planet as a whole.” – Jessica Martos, PAE Human Resources Manager

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2nd WRNS Studio – San Francisco – 180 Employees

Founded in 2005, WRNS Studio is an architecture, interiors, and urban design firm with locations in San Francisco, Honolulu, Seattle, and New York City. Across all of their projects, they approach is informed by three ideals – beauty, sustainability, and a positive contribution to the public realm. They were named the #1 spot in Architect Magazine’s annual ranking of firms in 2018. 

After the holidays, WRNS hosts a 6-week physical fitness challenge every January to help encourage staff and their families to focus on their health. This challenge brings together friends, families, and colleagues from all locations across the country and employee feedback proves this is one of their favorite challenges of the entire year. 

Last year, the WRNS Wellness Program put a spotlight on the importance of caring for mental health by running a month-long campaign that included online mental health screenings, noon hour seminars, and informational newsletters outlining the mental health benefits available through their health insurance plans. Their wellness program also focused on sleep and stress management with the understanding that these areas of wellness can play a significant role in one’s overall mental health.

“Sleep has always been difficult for me. When our wellness team decided to do a Sleep Campaign, I jumped at the chance to learn more tips and tricks. The sleep seminar and the email notifications with sleep facts really drove in the reminder to value our health. With the Sleep Journal, I could keep track of my consistency, create healthy sleep habits, and identify the barriers to a good night’s sleep. I sleep so much better and I have hope that it will continue to improve as I further my journey for a more consistent good night’s sleep." – Nayda Medina, WRNS Studio Assistant

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350 to 1,499 Employees

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1st Treasury Wine Estates – Napa – 699 Employees

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) is one of the world’s largest wine companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Their vision is to become the world’s most celebrated premium wine company. 

Treasury Wine’s wellness program is inclusive and comprehensive, utilizing employee resource groups and internal wellness champions to provide perspectives and input on the success of the program. 72% of their total employee population is actively engaged with the program, which they attribute to their ability to lower medical and prescription claims over the past 12 months. 

With mental well-being serving as such an important indicator of overall health, they are working to ensure that their employees have access to effective and affordable mental health services. They implemented Lyra, which provides therapists to employees who are specialized in specific traumas, available through telehealth options, and bilingual for those who don’t use English as their first language. 

“I’m so proud of our people-first culture. Through our various wellness programs, we drive employee well-being in a holistic manner, including physical, financial, mental, and emotional health. We know that our employees’ well-being is also dependent on their family’s wellbeing, which is why we’ve ensured that our wellness programs are inclusive. We believe that our business entirely relies on the wellbeing and positive engagement of our people. – Deepa Sabhapathy, Senior Vice President of People & Culture

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2nd Valley Water (Santa Clara Valley Water District) – San Jose – 850 Employees

Valley Water, formerly known as the Santa Clara Valley Water District, manages an integrated water resources system that includes the supply of clean, safe water, flood protection, and stewardship of streams on behalf of Santa Clara County’s two million residents.

Valley Water has adopted a hybrid work schedule, allowing employees the flexibility to create schedules that work for their needs. With this adaptation, several benefits offerings are now available online, including regular wellness seminars and telehealth visits. 

Recognizing financial stress as a major factor in employee mental well-being, Valley Water launched a new financial wellness/planning tool called Momentum Financial. This free benefit is available to all employees and helps them take control of their finances. 

“I am proud of how Valley Water has transformed the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic into expanded and lasting opportunities for employee well-being. We have successfully tailored our wellness program offerings to our permanent teleworking program through a combination of virtual and on-site events and activities. Further, we have truly embedded mindfulness, resilience, equity and inclusion, and family-friendly work-life integration into our wellness program, our business operations, and the day-to-day employee experience.” – Rick Callender, Chief Executive Officer

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3rd AssetMark – Concord – 900 Employees

AssetMark is a leading independent provider of innovative investment and consulting solutions serving financial advisors. We provide investment, relationship, and practice management solutions that advisors use to help clients achieve their investment objectives and life goals. 

AssetMark places a heavy emphasis on community and volunteerism. In honor of February’s Heart Health Month, they organized a Kudogram fundraiser for Valentine’s Day. Associates sent online ‘Kudos’ to show appreciation for their fellow co-workers – atotal of 847 Kudograms were sent, and a donation of $3000 was sent to the American Heart Association. They also host an annual Step for Charity step challenge. Employee teams compete for their chance to earn money to donate to the charity of their choice. During September, 12 teams collectively logged 29,038,056 steps and AssetMark sent a total of $5000 in donations to four deserving charities. 

“After reaching my heaviest weight ever in January, I knew I had to make changes. I joined Noom and started the Couch to 5k program through AssetMark. I set a weight loss goal of 70 pounds, which is more than I’d like to admit! I also started using the challenges in the Go365 app, which helped me realize how simple it was to fit healthier activities into my day – and the incentive to earn an Amazon gift card added to my motivation! I’m down 45 pounds, with 25 to go! On days when I was less motivated to get out and run, Go365 helped keep me motivated and moving! I am so appreciative of the resources our benefits team provides that help me be my healthiest self!” – Anonymous AssetMark Team Member

4th Nektar – San Francisco – 500 Employees

5th Collaborative Solutions, LLC – Reston, Virginia (Local Office: Pleasanton) – 936 Employees

6th Newfront – San Francisco – 785 Employees

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1,500-4,999 Employees

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1st Leprino Foods – Denver, Colorado (Local Office: Lemoore) – 4,477 Employees

Leprino Foods is an American company headquartered in Denver, Colorado with several locations around the globe. Leprino Foods is the world's largest mozzarella cheese maker and top producer of whey protein and sweet whey, lactose and dairy ingredients, supplying companies around the globe.

Leprino believes that their program is unique because of the easy accessibility of their programs. In 2021, one of their primary goals was to increase preventive exam compliance and screenings. Through campaigns emphasizing the importance of preventive healthcare, employee program participation increased 13% compared to the previous year. Employees appreciate the customizable offerings that allow them to reach maximum results for their specific needs. 

“The company’s annual biometric exams helped me to understand where my risk factors were and how one component can directly affect others. Coupled with my health coaching calls, the wellness program helped me to create a solid plan on how to improve my risk factors. I learned that by making small adjustments to my diet, I could possibly lower my BMI and that would affect my cholesterol and blood pressure in a positive way too. By taking the information gained from the wellness screening and my coaching calls with the nurse, I was able to determine a plan that would work for me. I lost over 30 pounds through changes in my diet, learning about portion control, and just working in a health plan that fit my life.” – Scott Heier, Maintenance Manager

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2nd CSAA Insurance Group – Walnut Creek – 3,500 Employees

CSAA Insurance Group, an AAA insurer, offers automobile, homeowners and other personal lines of insurance to AAA Members through AAA clubs in 23 states and the District of Columbia. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, CA, they have more than 3500 employees, with offices in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey, and Oklahoma.

CSAA believes in providing the same level of incentives to all employees, whether or not they are part of the health plan. Each year, employees have the ability to earn up to $500 in cash incentives, including at $200 annual fitness reimbursement. Simply by logging 20 days of exercise that include at least 10,000 steps and 30 workout minutes, employees can earn an additional $20 a month. 

The Employee Assistance Program provider hosts quarterly “Listening Sessions” to address stressors that employees may be facing. Recent topics include processing emotions during periods of loss, support during the holiday season, returning to a sense of normalcy, and the continued need for support two years after COVID-19. 

“Prior to the pandemic, our well-being program was heavily focused on in-office programs, but since have shifted to a national model available to all employees, regardless of location. We recently added social as our fourth well-being pillar on top of our previously existing physical, mental, and financial pillars, as a response to encouraging our employees’ social well-being.The team has continued to deliver excellent programming throughout the last year designed to promote and encourage participation and engagement, ultimately contributing to driving better health outcomes through education and awareness. Aside from the specific programming changes we also have a wonderful team committed to ensuring employees are as well as possible and do whatever it takes to help them along the way.” – Chris Lassalle, Senior Director, Benefits and Leave Management

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3rd Gilbane Building Company – Charlotte, North Carolina (Local Office: San Jose) – 3,355 Employees

Gilbane Building Company is one of the largest privately-held, family-owned construction, real estate, and facility management services companies, celebrating 150 years of business in 2020.

As a construction organization, safety is always top of mind at Gilbane. Beyond physical safety in the workplace, they are committed to providing a holistic wellness approach encompassing all facets of well-being. Last year, 67% of employees enrolled in the medical program completed the requirements to earn a discount on their medical premium. And, employees received an additional incentive for having their spouses complete preventive care and establishing relationships with a primary care physician. 

“At Gilbane, wellbeing is embedded in our culture from both a benefits and a safety perspective through our core value of Caring, and our Gilbane Cares safety philosophy. We have been fortunate to have both a high participation rate among our employees and a strong executive role modeling of healthy behaviors. Through changes like our move to Staywell/WebMD, we have worked to make it easy for our employees and their family members to get healthy.” – Courtney Cannata, Senior Human Resources Director

4th Essex Property – San Mateo – 1,773 Employees

5th Freedom Financial Network – San Mateo – 2,530 Employees

6th MongoDB – New York, New York (Local Office: Palo Alto) – 2,056 Employees

7th First Tech Federal Credit Union – San Jose – 1,602

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5,000+

1st Chevron USA – San Ramon – 19,847 Employees

Chevron is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies that prioritizes the safety and well-being of their people and communities.

Their global Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free, confidential consulting service for employees, families, and retirees. Data from their 3-year cohort of program participation shows that employees have decreased overall risk in nine risk factors. 

An anonymous employee at Chevron utilized the program by connecting with a health coach to begin taking the steps to living a better lifestyle. From there, she put more attention into planning meals, shopping for healthy groceries, and portion control. She reduced her sugar intake through more plant-based foods and increased her water intake, while making the commitment to begin exercising. Before starting the program, she did not exercise, but now logs approximately 6 hours of exercise each week, dropping her BMI 14 points and dropping out of the obese category.

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2nd U-Haul International – Phoenix, Arizona (Multiple Local Offices) – 14,021 Employees

U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. Their customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 126,000 trailers, and 46,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 825,000 rentable storage units and 71.6 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul has also been recognized as one of the top 100 Healthiest Workplaces in America for the past two years.

One of their most unique benefit offerings, Virta, is a science-backed Type II diabetes reversal program that is offered to anyone on the health plan at no cost. In 2021, U-Haul witnessed $722,730 in prescription savings due to 97% of their population enrolling in the RX Saving Solutions program. Additionally, U-Haul saw 11,000 visits in 2021 for telemedicine, reflecting the growing level of desired access to quality care through telehealth offerings. In 2021, U-Haul opened their onsite fitness center, the Shoen Center, a 54,208-square-foot complex on their headquarters campus in Phoenix. 

"The Shoen Center has improved both my mental and physical health. It brings back a college campus feel for me, and I have really enjoyed using the basketball court and meeting colleagues I don’t typically get to engage with. I personally never had a primary care doctor, so having the Healthier You Clinic onsite is extremely convenient for scheduling purposes. Overall, everything the well-being program has done has helped increased my quality of life." - Anonymous

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3rd McCarthy Building Companies – St. Louis, Missouri (Local Office: San Francisco) – 6,047 Employees

For more than 150 years, McCarthy has been a leader in the construction industry, with projects in nearly every state, with various markets, including healthcare, universities, educational facilities, government entities, and much more. 

As a repeat applicant, McCarthy is continuously innovating on their employee health benefits plans and resources. The personalization available through their approach speaks highly to the value that McCarthy places in employee-owners and families. Even before the pandemic, the construction industry ranked as one of the top industries for suicide due to the rigorous job requirements and stress. 

In early 2021, McCarthy expanded offerings surrounding mental health awareness through the launch of the McCarthy “Genuine Care" Mental Health program, designed to break the stigma surrounding mental health through increased conversations. Additional resources were created to promote conversation during daily toolbox talks, safety moments, and national meetings. They have also communicated the free resources available through their EAP, highlighting that the program does not limit the number of covered therapists visits and limiting the barriers to appropriate care.

‍“We have had a robust wellness program for quite a few years now, but I am exceptionally proud of the enhancements we’ve implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in the area of mental health,” Lisa Sanders, Vice President of Human Resources Operations shared. “We developed new and updated materials, resources, and tools to emphasize and support mental health awareness on job sites and in offices. As part of our efforts, we also offered to help other companies who might have questions about our program or would like to use any of our materials! To me, this is what wellness is all about. When we can work together, it benefits us all.”

4th Ericsson – Plano, Texas (Local Office: San Francisco) – 6,133 Employees

5th HP Inc. – Palo Alto – 12,002 Employees

6th Accenture – Chicago, Illinois (Local Office: San Jose) – 57,000 Employees

7th CBIZ – Cleveland, Ohio (Local Office: Walnut Creek) – 5,192 Employees

8th CGI Technologies & Solutions, Inc. – Fairfax, Virginia (Local Office: Oakland) – 13,426 Employees

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The Healthiest Employers® survey is scored and powered by Springbuk, a health intelligence platform that simplifies data-driven decision-making with an intuitive user experience, predictive modeling, and curated action steps. The assessment is scored rubric style on a 1-100 scale. Since 2009, Healthiest Employers has been the leading recognition program for employee wellness. Today, we currently host award ceremonies in over 45 regions across the country and applicants are not only eligible for local recognition, but also have the chance to earn a spot on the Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America. This national award takes the highest scoring applicants from all locations, company sizes, and industries. To sign up for the Healthiest Employers newsletter and get more information on our events, join our mailing list today! 

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View other regional award winners here!