AmTrust Has Success During Challenging Year
Summary: Employee well-being programs had to readjust their focus with changes throughout 2020. Sara Warner, Senior Benefits Analyst and AmTrust’s AmWell program administrator, shares how the program succeeded beyond expectations during a year of challenges in this article. Written by Sara Warner, MPH, CPH, CHES, Senior Benefits Analyst at AmTrust Financial 
2020 brought many ups and downs. The
coronavirus pandemic upended millions of Americans' lives, forcing them to deal with a new way of life. Many individuals are dealing with a new way of life, such as working from home, helping kids with remote learning, adhering to social distancing rules. Some may also have a constant worry about the health of their friends and loved ones.
There’s no doubt maintaining a work/life balance has been challenging for many individuals.
That is where
employee well-being programs come into play. Wellness programs encompasses eating right and moving your body. An effective employee well-being program effects the whole person, which in turn can impact a company in every aspect of their business, from productivity to morale.
The types of employee wellness programs vary per business size, with most companies focusing on teaching their employees how to make healthy lifestyle choices. These programs encourage workers to stay healthy by offering preventive screenings, health and stress management programs, on-site fitness centers, yoga classes, healthy snacks and more.
AmWell, powered by Limeade, is AmTrust’s employee well-being program. 2020 marked the sixth year that AmTrust had a well-being program. Participants in the AmWell program receive rewards and reduce their monthly medical premium costs for the next year. As Senior Benefits Analyst at AmTrust Financial, I am responsible for administering the AmWell program, available for our U.S. and global employees.
AmTrust’s AmWell Employee Wellness Program
AmWell is designed to support employees in their efforts to embody
AmTrust’s core values of excellence, innovation, integrity, responsibility, inclusion and teamwork. The well-being program's pillars (career, physical, financial, and emotional) enable our employees to characterize our core values both personally and professionally.
AmTrust provides employees with a variety of customizable resources to help employees take control of their well-being journeys, thrive and live their best lives at work and home. AmWell provides resources and habit-changing activities throughout the year, and employees around the world can achieve their well-being goals by joining these activities and tracking their progress.
Surpassing Expectations in a Challenging Year
Despite all of the challenges in 2020, AmTrust’s employee well-being program surpassed expectations. AmWell launched at the end of January 2020, with 60% of our worldwide employees registering and participating in AmWell activities. 71% of employees in the U.S. and 40% of international employees participated in AmWell. The international participation is particularly impressive since it was the first year our international employees were in the program.
Our employees have embraced the program and the adjusted offering and additional support. In fact, 10% more employees earned higher levels in the program in 2020 than the previous year, meaning we had more employees obtain rewards and higher medical insurance premium reductions. Because of 2020 participation in AmWell, AmTrust offset employee premiums.
AmWell Programs Adjusts to Remote Working
Due to the emergency shutdowns in the spring of 2020, AmTrust, like many other companies, switched to
remote work. Using AmWell, powered by Limeade, has helped keep our employees connected even when working remotely. Employees can easily choose and update their AmWell activities via Limeade. The program had to adjust from physical wellness to a total well-being program for a variety of activities, from physical and emotional to financial.
We added new programs such as Mindfulness Mondays, allowing employees to take the time to identify their own self-care needs and Well-being Wednesdays, a 30 minute topic of the week to address all areas of well-being, featuring speakers and highlighting the Limeade platform and content. For 2020, the most popular tiles were videos by our company President and CHRO on the importance of well-being. Employees love hearing from leadership, and connecting those messages with the program is very important. We also empowered U.S. and global employee champion network, which are employee communicators who share their stories, including the ones listed below:
Sarah Rudkin-Senior Office & Facilities Manager for AmTrust’s Barcelona & Madrid offices: The emotional well-being activities that AmWell offered me throughout the year have helped me to manage stress and anxiety as well as keep positive relationships both with my work colleagues and close friends and family.
Diann Rose-Claims Clerk II in FNOL from Dallas, Texas: The walks and exercise really do help your physical well-being, and you are rewarded on top of it, so it is a win-win commitment. Because not only do you win prizes, but you get a discount on your medical insurance as well.
Andrea Webb-Reinsurance Analyst at Bermuda office: AmWell is actively supporting staff to take a mental break during the day, teaching about mindful breathing, encouraging us to take a moment to stretch and to consider what we are thankful for. These are a few examples of things AmTrust is doing to help well-being.
Looking Forward: AmTrust’s Employee Well-Being Program
The best advice I could offer about the success of AmWell is to collaborate with other departments and colleagues within your own company, with Limeade, other vendor partners, champions, our community, non-profits and more. It does take time, but it is worth it and fun to build the program and hear about employee successes.
Looking ahead to the 2021 AmWell program, I want to make AmTrust employees feel cared for and leverage the new Limeade ONE tools. We also want to focus on preventive care and screenings.
I will be speaking with Maggie Barney, AmTrust’s Limeade Strategic Account Executive, at the Limeade Engage conference on March 9, 2021, to share how AmTrust used the well-being program to engage and care for employees through the ups and downs of 2020.
Sara Warner is a Senior Benefits Analyst at AmTrust Financial. She is responsible for administering AmWell. Sara obtained her a BA from Case Western Reserve University in 2007 majoring in Anthropology and Public Health and minoring in Chemistry and Biology. She also completed her master’s degree at Case in Public Health (MPH) in 2008 with a concentration in Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention. She holds Public Health (CPH) and Community Health Education Specialist (CHES) certifications.
This material is for informational purposes only and is not legal or business advice. Neither AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. nor any of its subsidiaries or affiliates represents or warrants that the information contained herein is appropriate or suitable for any specific business or legal purpose. Readers seeking resolution of specific questions should consult their business and/or legal advisors. Coverages may vary by location. Contact your local RSM for more information.