Limeade, Inc. Launches Wellness Platform:
Improves Vitality of Employees, Gives Businesses Competitive Edge
New service improves both business performance and clinical health with a more human, social approach
BELLEVUE, Wash., April 14, 2008 – Limeade, Inc., an online software-as-a-service (SaaS) company focused on health, wellness and productivity, today announced the formal launch of Limeade Employee Vitality, a unique online wellness platform. The service helps employers create high-performance workplaces through improved employee physical health, emotional well-being and professional growth.
Current wellness products typically focus on changing the behavior of a small segment of the employee base—usually only diseased or “high-risk” employees (obese, smokers, etc.), in an effort to help employers control spiraling health costs. This narrow approach leaves major predictors of personal and organizational health out of the equation. Limeade’s evidence-based “whole person, whole population” approach addresses these high-cost cases, but also recognizes that even low and medium-risk employees can improve health habits and become happier and more productive. In fact, engaging an entire employee population in behavior change optimizes health and productivity.
“The path to an engaged, healthy workplace starts with people. The best employers understand this already, and want to measure and improve what matters most,” said Henry Albrecht, Limeade’s Founder and CEO. “Current wellness approaches can belittle employees by treating them as bundles of health risks, rather than as human beings with untapped potential. Our service builds on strengths, helps identify areas for improvement and gives employees the tools, techniques and peer support to achieve their goals. It’s not a feel-good exercise; it’s a commitment to productivity and competitiveness.”
Among the key features of Limeade Employee Vitality are: a 360-degree clinical health, productivity and well-being assessment, goal tracking (online, via phone, email, and other tracking gadgets), incentive management, journaling/blog, community forums, and personalized connections to more wellness resources when called for (e.g. smoking cessation, health coaching or disease management). It also includes dashboards to show executives and HR professionals a view of the overall health of an employee base. (Limeade never shares personally identifiable employee information with employers). With such a view, employers can make targeted decisions to manage risk, lower health costs and drive higher productivity and performance.
“This is a revolutionary approach with wide deployment potential,” said Dr. Michael Parkinson, President of the American College of Preventive Medicine and an advisor to Limeade. “Limeade is the only company I’ve seen that combines health, self-efficacy and work-life assessments with tailored information, peer support and positive reinforcement systems. Limeade has an evidence-based, incentive-driven system that can help a company perform at their best.”
Several employers have been using Limeade Employee Vitality, and are impressed with the results.
“Limeade’s dashboards show us how our health, emotional and workplace issues – including productivity – are connected,” said Naomi Lombard, Senior Human Resources Manager at Aditi Technologies. “Our employees said Limeade felt more like a social networking site than a wellness application. That’s probably why we have had such a positive response to using it.”
A true platform, Limeade cohesively integrates with other employer-sponsored health and wellness programs, including health coaching, biometric screening and disease management. Unlike other wellness products, Limeade is a modular and open system, meaning employers are not locked into a limited or exclusive set of service providers. With the explosion of the wellness industry, new solutions and services are being launched every day. Limeade’s open approach means employers can continually offer best-of-breed solutions from a range of partners. This format also enables small and medium-sized businesses to access wellness without the high upfront costs of other options.
Limeade Employee Vitality is offered through a network of resellers as well as directly from the company. Employer costs are billed on a per-employee-per-month basis, and vary based on volume.
About Limeade
Based in Bellevue, Washington, Limeade, Inc. is an online software company focused on health, wellness & productivity. Limeade was founded on a large and growing body of evidence showing that clinical health, well-being and organizational health are inextricably related. Its flagship service, Limeade Employee Vitality, is a comprehensive online employee wellness platform that blends the best of evidence-based health and behavioral science with revolutionary social software. Limeade Employee Vitality helps employers reduce health costs and improve productivity by engaging human beings. The turnkey system works within an existing employer’s benefit framework, as well as offering additional services. More information is available at www.limeade.com.
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Media Contact:
John Williams
Scoville PR for Limeade
(206) 625-0075 x1
jwilliams@scovillepr.com