Cerner Corporation
Hall of Fame Highlight
Haley Elmore
June 24, 2021
Background on Cerner Corporation
Cerner Corporation, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is working to empower those devoted to delivering care and keeping people healthy. To improve the health of others, they first start by working to encourage a culture of well-being internally. Serving approximately 20,000 U.S. associates, the Benefits and Wellness team at Cerner is constantly looking for ways to develop their programming to fit the diverse needs of their population. Recently, members of the Cerner Benefits and Wellness team sat down with Healthiest Employers to share more about their programming and what truly makes Cerner such a healthy work environment. Courtney Coble, Program Manager of Worldwide Benefits, Hiliary Nichols, Team Lead for Physical Well-being, Caitlin Rexhaj, Senior Program Manager and Samantha Kamp, Program Manager for Benefits and Well-being Design, and Marie Curdy, Communications Partner for Corporate Communications, help lead the strategy and implementation of Cerner benefits, wellness, and several health initiatives within the company and recently sat down with the Healthiest Employers team to share their perspective on why Cerner is a Hall of Fame organization.
This year, Cerner was inducted into the first-ever Healthiest Employers Hall of Fame for their continued success in the national Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America award, where they were recognized in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021.
“Our team works hard to provide progressive benefits and well-being offerings and we want to share our knowledge and our experiences with other employers to help better the health of our community,” Coble said to the Healthiest Employers team. “Cerner has a robust history of programming, we have maintained and bolstered our philosophy of supporting associates and their families’ health.”
Promoting a Culture of Wellness
One of the most unique benefit offerings at Cerner is their internal brand for health and wellness programs and services called, “Healthe at Cerner”. Healthe at Cerner includes onsite and virtual programming to support associates and their families across the continuum of health and care, including onsite fitness centers which provide associates with access to workout equipment, fitness specialists, and certified athletic trainers, as well as onsite clinics and pharmacies for primary care services, medication management and more.
While the onset of COVID-19 provided challenges for many organizations, including Cerner, their virtual programming and digital resources proved to be beneficial to their associate population. Many of these options are still in place for workers today as they work to transition back into the office.
Encouraging Engagement
Healthiest Employers often hears of the struggle of engaging populations and respectfully encouraging associates to participate, especially during an influx of virtual options. “Virtual engagement can be tough, especially as we are now balancing a different flavor of work-life integration than we were a couple of years ago,” Caitlin Rexhaj said. “I think it is important that we keep a differentiated strategy and individualized options top of mind so that we provide different engagement opportunities to our population. There isn’t just one layer of benefits.”
One way Cerner helps drive engagement and encourage healthy habits among their associates is through the Technogym wellness app. Online, they can access a wide array of templated workouts and targeted interventions. This provides a way for associates to always have the ability to reach their exercise goals and discuss their results with one of Cerner’s dedicated personal trainers.
In 2019, the team started a campaign focused on preventing musculoskeletal problems through the Technogym app where designated workouts, vlogs, and informative podcasts were posted to educate associates on how to take care of their bodies throughout the workday.
“Our population is very spread out, and we have associates all over the world, so we need to meet everyone wherever they are,” Samantha Kamp added. “The fact that we had so many locations even prior to the pandemic helped push us to enhance our virtual offerings.”
Cerner offers their “Healthe Living with Rewards” program that provides financial incentives worth up to $1,200 for eligible associates who can participate in nearly 20 wellness related activities. This program helps increase awareness and participation of the various resources while providing guidance and support people need to reach their wellness goals.
Addressing Mental Health
The Cerner team recently implemented a new EAP provider with Spring Health, which has provided associates best-in-class provider networks for mental health resources. Their robust work-life balance assistance, digital wellness tools, and care navigation have greatly contributed to associate satisfaction, especially during COVID-19.
“We are just so fortunate that we can offer such a wide range of mental well-being benefits and programs in so many different modalities because it allows us to meet people where they are,” Caitlin Rexhaj said. Everyone learns and takes in information differently, so certain pathways are more beneficial than others. Providing these resources helps our population in the most robust way possible.”
These virtual options are also helping to ensure that all associates across the country are receiving the same level of care when it comes to their mental well-being. “In addition to in-person offerings on our campuses, we also provide video or telephonic counseling to make mental healthcare as accessible as possible,” Rexhaj added.
Supporting the Entire Cerner Family
At Cerner, benefits don’t just impact the associates but also extend to include programming and support for their families.
Supporting the family is important because the team feels as though taking care of associates will impact their business for the better. To assist with this, the Cerner team offers their associates personalized maternity navigation, fertility benefits, bariatric surgery resources and support, and onsite childcare facilities. Both birthing and non-birthing parents receive paid time off, including adoptive parents, and Cerner has also added a surrogacy reimbursement to help accommodate all types of parents. “We also have an onsite Cerner daycare and added additional programs for discounted care at home,” Coble said. “Whatever your family situation looks like, we want to make sure we have different options.”
Heading Back to the Office
Cerner Corporation tentatively plans to implement a return to office hybrid working model starting this summer. Each team of associates will work with their leadership to adopt either a fully virtual, dynamic, or onsite working schedule. The campuses are currently open to offer associates the flexibility to work in the office and/or meet with coworkers in person.
Diversifying the Global Workforce
DEI is a major topic of conversation when it comes to creating inclusive wellness programming. Social determinants of health (SDoH) such as socioeconomic status, education level, and healthcare quality are guiding how many employers are making decisions on appropriate health policies.
“Our team works very closely with the Cerner DEI team to ensure our benefits are inclusive of all of our associates,” Kamp said. The Wellness and DEI teams collaborate to encourage monthly or weekly themes and provide the information and resources to accompany them. Through webinars and newsletters, the teams have created an environment, which aids their associates' positive overall morale and health of their associates.
Each year, Cerner carefully analyzes their benefits plans and has recently made an effort to include more to assist those in these minority groups. In 2022, Cerner additionally won the Best Places to Work for the LGBTQ community, speaking to the associates’ satisfaction with upper management’s decisions on diverse topics.
The Future of Wellness
While much of the future remains unknown for several employers across the U.S., Cerner is dedicated to continuing their health and wellness efforts while enhancing their positive work culture. As they focus their attention on strategies to return to the office, they want to make sure that they are considering the needs of everyone in their population.
“I think we are probably in the same boat as everyone else where many business operations are moving to virtual or hybrid formats. I know this is already a common theme and our tentative plan is a hybrid approach,” Kamp said. “We will continue to evaluate our programs each year and see what is working for associates and how we can meet them where they are.”
“It is an honor to be considered a Healthiest Employer and to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Coble said. “It is even more confirmation that we are on the right path to providing our associates and their families with the appropriate benefits, tools, and resources to help them live their healthiest lives.”
