A Rochester company has been named one of the Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles in the country.

According to PR Newswire, Paychex, Inc. has been honored by the National Business Group on Health (NBGH) for having one of the best workforce health and well-being problems in the entire United States. Paychex, a leading provider of integrated human capitol managements solutions for HR, retirement, insurance, and payroll services, has now been honored seven times by the NBGH.

The Rochester company received Platinum-level recognition for its commitment to improving employee health and productivity.

Studies show that factors like workplace meals, cleanliness, and fitness can all contribute to an office’s healthy lifestyle — or lack thereof. Less than 20% of American workers regularly take a full lunch break and employees who are in dusty work environments have their cognitive abilities impaired by up to 2% to 6%.

Increasingly, companies are prioritizing employee wellness programs to promote productivity and retention.

Employee Retention

“Wellness is a big part of our workplace culture,” said Laurie Zaucha, vice president of human resources and organization development at Paychex. “At locations around the country, you’ll find employees using sit-stand workstations, taking walk breaks on walking paths or around the parking lot, and participating in team-based wellness challenges that take place throughout the year. Achieving platinum-level recognition reflects our commitment to helping our employees live healthy lives, and reinforces our belief that healthy employees are more engaged, more resilient, and better able to tackle the demands of their daily work.”

According to Euractiv, all organizations can benefit from encouraging their workers to consume healthier food options, but the majority of businesses are hesitant to make the necessary health investments.

“A person spends most of his or her time in the workplace, so the possibilities given in the workplace or nearby, in restaurants or markets or street food trucks, make a very big difference,” said Giuseppe Masanotti, director of Experimental Centre for Health Promotion and Education at the University of Perugia. “With or without automatic machines, what is offered and at what price determines what people will choose, and this will have immediate and long-term consequences on physical but also mental health.”

Paychex recently announced its total service revenue for the first quarter of 2017, $803.1 million, which is an increase of 4% from the same period last year.

“We posted solid growth across our major human capital management (HCM) product lines in the first quarter, in particular our comprehensive human resource outsourcing solutions and our cloud-based time and attendance products continue to perform well,” added Martin Mucci, President and CEO of Paychex.

The NBGH is the country’s only nonprofit organization devoted exclusively to helping companies optimize business performance through health improvement, innovation, and management. The group’s missions it to keep its members as healthy as possible and continue to strive for future improvements.

“We are delighted to recognize Paychex for their innovative approach to employee, family, and community health and well-being,” added Brian Marcotte, President and CEO of the NBGH.