HOUSTON—Sometimes leading by example extends into the personal realm. A year after Avison Young chair and CEO Mark Rose underwent a transformation by embracing a new lifestyle of healthy eating and regular exercise, the concept when viral on an internal corporate level, including the staff and brokers in the AY Houston office.

In 2014, Rose was passionate about his journey to health and wanted to share this passion with employees. As a result, Avison Young introduced a weight-loss and wellness coaching challenge and incentivized employees by tying medical contributions to participation. The subsequent increase in engagement kicked off a larger focus on wellness and health savings account insurance plans/HSAs.

“The initial group of employees that took this challenge seriously has impacted our whole team. Others visibly saw immediate changes in team members by weight loss, more positive attitudes, higher energy levels and collaboration,” Jana Cotterell, AY Houston operations manager, tells GlobeSt.com. “I truly love it when something healthy spreads like wildfire and watching everyone jump on board to support the effort.”

This company-wide effort resulted in Assurance recognizing AY as a Minimizing Risk, Maximizing Health/MRMH Award recipient. The MRMH Award is open to all Assurance clients that work alongside the Top 50 US insurance brokerage to achieve quantifiable results in minimizing workplace risk and maximizing the health and well-being of employees. Clients must meet certain criteria to qualify, including a large, quantifiable reduction or improvement in a variety of key areas.

“For Avison Young, having a happy, healthy workforce allows us to continue delivering leading-edge, innovative solutions to our clients,” comments Rose. “That's a cultural foundation of this company. Be different by being collaborative–and wellness is a major part of that.”

Assurance and Avison Young worked together to choose a new wellness vendor, formalize the wellness program and focus on HSA plan participation. Previously, the company offered four medical plans, including two Preferred Provider Organizations/PPOs with 80% participation and two HSAs with the remaining 20%. Pam Mazza, a principal of Avison Young and the company's chief human resources officer, pushed to put more emphasis on the HSA plans.

“It was our intent to drive enrollment into HSAs because, as we all know, by the year 2023 Medicare in its current form is going to be unsustainable,” Mazza says.

Increasing participation in HSA plans would save money for both employees and the employer. The lower premiums prevent employees from paying for coverage they rarely use, as is often the case with PPOs. Higher deductible limits and a focus on wellness and prevention also help employees become engaged healthcare consumers.

To educate Avison Young's 1,400-plus US-based employees on the upcoming wellness initiatives and benefits of using HSA plans, more than 40 face-to-face meetings were conducted within a 14-day span. AY's determination to bring an even more comprehensive benefits package to employees caused a 52% increase in HSA plan participation and wellness participation increased 46%. Avison Young's focus on the physiological and financial wellness of employees has led to more than $750,000 in savings.

“The team at Avison Young has done a tremendous job of dedicating time and resources to help get the message across and to get people to engage in wellness programs and this benefits strategy,” adds Assurance principal Paul Bartman. “The MRMH Award is a special award of which they should be very proud. I know we're very proud to be a part of it.”

Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Toronto, Avison Young is a firm owned and operated by its principals. The company comprises 2,400 real estate professionals in 80 offices.

“It was our intent to drive enrollment into HSAs because, as we all know, by the year 2023 Medicare in its current form is going to be unsustainable,” Mazza says.

Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Toronto, Avison Young is a firm owned and operated by its principals. The company comprises 2,400 real estate professionals in 80 offices.

Instant Insights /

AY Houston Accepts Wellness Challenge

Related Stories

Recommended For You