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Employees with wellness goals at CQuence Health Group are aided by a little extra company support provided to help our team members become their best selves. Through an annual wellbeing allowance, our employees and their family members can get many of their wellness-related items reimbursed up to a certain dollar amount just by signing up for our wellbeing program.
Almost every team member has taken advantage of this benefit at some point. Fitness accessories like running shoes, athletic wear and wearable devices, as well as gym memberships, are among the most common items we see requested for reimbursement.
But the list of acceptable categories seems to grow each year, mostly because we recognize that not everybody experiences wellness in the same way. While some may adhere to the traditional concept of wellness, going to the gym every day or running a few miles, others get more mileage, so to speak, out of participating in community events, taking classes and engaging in any number of hobbies.
CQuence Health Group’s wellbeing program supports wellness in mind, body and soul, and we’re open to different ideas as long as they can reasonably contribute to wellness within all its forms.
The following is a short list of some of the most interesting wellness stipend items we’ve seen submitted and approved. Some are more common than others, but they’ll definitely make you think twice about what constitutes wellbeing at the office.
Beekeeping Supplies
You could say that this particular item is the Bee’s Knees.
One of our team members is enthusiastic about raising bees and cultivating the honey they produce. And who are we to say no to that! This hobby is one of the more interesting ones we’ve seen, and we’re happy to take the sting out of the cost of materials they need to keep this going. Also: bees are great for the environment!
Skiing
Many of our team members take their enthusiasm for wellness on the road with them. They take part in marathons, bike rides and various charity runs throughout the country, and CQ is happy to sponsor participants via a separate community stipend set aside just for these types of events.
But a couple of our team members do way more than just take part in community fundraisers. They’ve used their stipend for climbing equipment, ski gear, lift passes and more so they and their families can keep wellness front and center even while on vacation.
Music
We’ve had quite a few reimbursements specific to the musically inclined team members.
One person submitted for a guitar, while many others have been reimbursed for instrument lessons. Still others have been reimbursed for their family member’s dance classes and items that support the same (shoes, sheet music, etc.).
Classes
And it’s not just music! We encourage our team members to pursue education of all kinds—from cooking and crafts classes to book clubs and more. If there’s a skill you want to pick up or something you want to become better at, we want our employees to have the freedom to explore that pursuit!
PS. This also means our employees can get things like language-learning apps reimbursed as well! Sacré bleu!
Mother Nature
At our headquarters in Nebraska, we’re never far from country roads, fresh air and all the outdoor activities that go along with them.
Many of our employees have taken advantage of this picturesque landscape by getting reimbursed for membership dues for trails, parks and even the zoo. One employee uses the wellness reimbursement to help pay for horse-riding accessories and caring for the horse itself!
Sports
Sports of all kinds are always being submitted, and really anything is acceptable. Greens fees at golf courses are popular, as are sign-ups for volleyball, softball and bowling leagues, along with all the attendant equipment that goes along with them.
Gym Memberships
We have an on-site gym at our Omaha headquarters, and while many of our team members use this benefit, some still prefer the opportunity to use the equipment at the gyms around town. For instance, many specifically want to join a gym with a climbing wall or a basketball court.
This is also a great benefit for those who work on the other side of the country from our headquarters. And still others use the reimbursement to fill their homes with exercise equipment!
Books
Not only do we reimburse participation in book clubs and other intellectually stimulating activities, but we’re happy to reimburse for book purchases themselves. It depends on the book, but anything related to wellness is eligible.
If you’ve had your eye on the latest Brené Brown jam or a certain Netflix show has you wondering if there’s a book that can help you tidy up your house with help from Marie Kondo, these too could be reimbursed by CQ. Fitness magazines and healthy food cookbooks also count.
Spa Day
Self-care is incredibly important, and many of our employees elect to use their wellness reimbursements to get their nails done or book a relaxing massage or facial. There’s no need to put off another appointment.
The Arts
Multiple team members submit their membership dues or passes to local museums, art galleries, symphonies and similar arts-based endeavors. We encourage our employees to take in the local cultural scene wherever they live.
What’s Your Wellness Pursuit?
Does any of this sound like something you’d be interested in, or do you have an idea that’s not on here? Then I hope you’ll visit our Careers page to see if there’s an opening that fits your talents. Pretty soon, you too could be cultivating a bee farm, a beet farm, or anything else that’s the Bee’s Knees.