LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
Keeping Wake County healthy means that employees can better handle the demands of the 1.1 million-plus residents and 857 square miles of property.
Wake County HR also regularly reviews leave and benefits offerings to make sure it offers the most competitive and com- prehensive benefits packages. For instance, at the beginning of 2023, Wake County imple- mented “wellness leave,” two days of paid leave for full- and part-time employees to take advantage of wellness activi- ties, preventive care, and therapy. Wellness leave can also be used to manage stress, anxiety, or depression they or their immediate family mem- bers experience. The paid leave option is part of the county government’s efforts to promote work-life balance for current employees while mak- ing it easier to recruit top talent. Todd Reider, vice president of employee health and benefits for MMA’s Mid-Atlantic region, and a Wake County resident, says he’s impressed that the county can facilitate its health and well- ness services while maintaining a revenue-neutral tax rate.
“They take their fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers very seriously,” he says. “It’s awesome to see that they’ve maintained this very solid posi- tion financially. There are very few organizations doing what they do.” Martin says it wouldn’t have been possible without the sup- port they’ve received from MMA. MMA has helped the county identify areas where it receives the most claims and develop strategies to reduce those problems in the com- munity. She calls MMA one of the best brokerage firms she’s worked with in her 23-year HR career. “It’s not always about the money; it’s about the people,” Martin says. “MMA is a very proactive partner. They help us to save lives, and that story is what gets lost when you have a broker relationship because they’re usually con- cerned about the performance and the bottom line. That’s what sets MMA apart.”
documents, online videos, and department leaders desig- nated as “wellness champions.” Crawford’s team continuously monitors the effectiveness of their health and wellness pro- grams to ensure they’re having a positive impact. “One of the things we pride ourselves on is meeting people where they are,” she says. “For example, we have a program called ‘New Year, New You,’ and it’s essentially a weight loss program. We can evaluate how many participants we had, the total number of pounds partic- ipants lost, and how long they were engaged. We can mea- sure our success and show that it’s working.”
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