06 Oct 2020
PHOENIX, Ariz., October, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- U-Haul® International is the healthiest employer in the Valley among companies with more than 5,000 employees, the Phoenix Business Journal announced this week during its annual award presentations.
Having been ranked among the most health-conscious companies in recent years, this marks the first time U-Haul has won for its Wellness Program.
U-Haul was named the 2020 Business Journal Healthiest Employer in the extra-large category, joining fellow winners BlueCross BlueShield of Arizona (1,500-4,999 employees); the Town of Gilbert (500-1,499); SmartPractice (100-499); and Orchard Medical Consulting (fewer than 99).
"We strive to make U-Haul a wonderful workplace and appreciate the dedication of our Team Members, who have allowed us to be recognized as a healthy workplace," stated Jessica Lopez, U-Haul Chief of Staff. "We understand if we take care of our Team Members, they take care of our customers. Our people are our greatest asset. We're truly invested in our Team Members and their families."
U-Haul is constructing a 54,208-square-foot Fitness Center in Midtown Phoenix, where it has been headquartered since 1967. Slated for completion by summer 2021, the two-story building will provide the 1,800 Team Members on its corporate campus the opportunity to exercise and receive medical attention just steps from their work stations.
Monique Wantland, U-Haul wellness program manager, noted the Company's "Healthier You Initiative" pivoted in 2020 to address the challenges prompted by COVID-19. In addition to new programs for diabetes management and expectant parents, U-Haul expanded its gym membership reimbursement to include the use of fitness apps as some of its 30,300 Team Members across the U.S. and Canada worked – and worked out – remotely.
"We really had to make sure we were being inclusive and catering to everyone," Wantland said.
U-Haul Active Day, an event held every September where group outings promote exercise and camaraderie, transitioned to U-Haul Virtual Active Week with a series of fun competitions that Team Members could choose to tackle individually.
Since last fall, U-Haul has addressed the mental health of Team Members and their households by adding the "You Matter Program" and endorsed healthier choices by implementing a nicotine-free hiring policy in 21 states where it is allowed, including Arizona.
U-Haul continues to offer its Team Members nicotine cessation assistance; gym and personal trainer reimbursements; registered dietitian plans; health fairs; on-site farmers markets; healthy meals and vending; an online health portal; group fitness events; and a robust benefits package.
The Business Journal's Healthiest Employer rankings were determined with assistance from Healthiest Employers LLC, which uses questionnaires filled out by company employees to rank each entrant in six categories on a Healthiest Employers Index. The complete rankings of all 2020 honorees appears in today's print and digital edition of the Phoenix Business Journal.
Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 127,000 trailers and 41,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 774,000 rentable storage units and 66.7 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry, and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S.
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