Pioneer General Manager Creates Healthy Eating Program for Employees

This story is a part of our A Better Tomorrow 2022 Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

Who doesn’t want an Energy Reboot? Employees at Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, are experiencing the benefits of an innovative program designed to help them eat healthier and strive toward personal health goals.

Created by General Manager Andy Lockwood in collaboration with Parkview’s employee wellness team, the Energy Reboot Program won Sodexo North America’s 2022 MyGreenIdea contest, for best practices in Corporate Social Responsibility.

We focus on employee energy levels, not just weight loss, Lockwood says. It’s about showing up at your best.

The intensive, eight-week program teaches plant-based eating and mindful practices, such as exercise, meditation and sleep, with support from a Master Wellness instructor, dietitian and physician. To date, 140 employees have participated, from senior leaders to food and nutrition workers.

To start, employees are asked about their motivation, to best understand their goals. They receive surveys and baseline biometrics for body mass, blood sugar and cholesterol. Next, they receive weekly health coaching, discounted healthy meals, hands-on cooking lessons and follow-up questionnaires.

Results have been overwhelmingly positive. One hundred percent of employees who followed the plant-based diet saw their cholesterol levels drop to a healthy range and every participant lost weight and lowered their blood pressure. The program was so effective, the team extended the concept to the retail environment, creating lower-cost plates with central plant-based items.

In a separate program, the Healthy Teams Initiative, employees can receive free meals when they sign up for regular health coaching to set and make progress on personal health goals. About 70 employees are choosing these Mindful Meals, featuring whole grains, vegetables, fruit, lean proteins and other healthy ingredients.

I wanted to offer free food to employees in my department, Lockwood explains. I think it’s very impactful. They’re getting one really good meal per day and working toward their goals with their coach. Lockwood says employees exhibit a real spark when they join Energy Reboot.

Andy Lockwood says:

When you commit to it, you’ll notice an immediate change in your energy level. I see it as their manager. They notice it with each other.

One employee started a Couch Potato to 10k program, building fitness gradually by running a little more every day. Another reported, I have lost 43 pounds on this journey. This program has changed my life. I plan to continue this plan for the rest of my life. I can’t believe healthy food can taste this good.

Lockwood has shared the Energy Reboot program with colleagues in Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow Community of Practice, a corporate social responsibility collaboration working to embed sustainable practices into operations. Now, it’s under evaluation as a model for a global strategy around employee well-being and healthy eating.

The program embodies Sodexo’s commitments to both reducing carbon emissions through increasing plant-based eating and improving employee quality of life. Employees feel like they’re being invested in, Lockwood says. They feel like they’re being cared for.