UMB Financial : Bank recognized as one of Kansas City’s healthiest employers

The wellness program at UMB has always been a top priority and was even more of a focus this year as we all adjusted to working remote. We are honored that the Kansas City Business Journal recently recognized our bank as one of the city's healthiest employers.

At UMB, we've been intentional about building out our wellness program and evolving it to meet associates' needs in this ever-changing environment. We believe it is more important than ever for companies to focus on their wellness program efforts as their associates' personal lives and work are now blended rather than being parallel. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on many areas of physical and mental health, financial health, family life and other areas, and it's important as a company to provide the resources our associates want and need in these trying times.

Our quarterly wellness program is available to all associates and their spouse/domestic partner, if applicable. This program includes incentives for participation such as 'cash' rewards for use on wellness items, fitness reimbursements, coaching, healthy habit tracking, nutritional support and education as well as personal and company challenges. Our activities allow associates to learn together, share stories, feel connected and talk about struggles they face. We focus on communication, offering regular educational emails, which we believe is essential to build and maintain camaraderie. In addition, we have added virtual one-on-one sessions with our benefits team as an added way to help associates and their families understand the program better and obtain resources they may need.

We also offer 'UMB You' days which can be used to meet a spectrum of wellbeing needs from doctor's appointments to spending time with a loved one or simply a day off. Furthermore, we distribute company-wide monthly wellness newsletters and other weekly newsletters where we share wellness information and resources and provide access to educational programs.

We recognize that mental health is just as important as physical health, particularly during the pandemic. Our leaders actively talk about the importance of mental health and encourage associates to express what they need from their managers to further their well-being.

One of the primary programs we offer to support employees' mental health is the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Through the EAP, associates and their immediate families have access to therapy sessions and education programs. In addition, we know that finances can cause stress, so we offer a variety of financial wellness seminars.

We are excited that a large percentage of our associate population is taking part in our wellness program and that other organizations are taking notice of our efforts. The Kansas City Business Journal recently recognized us as a 2021 Healthiest Employers‡ honoree, an award that celebrates KC-area businesses that make health and well-being a priority. The assessment scored companies on their well-being program's culture and leadership commitment, foundational components, strategic planning, communication and marketing, programming and interventions and reporting and analysis.

During a time when health takes center stage, UMB is proud to be recognized as an organization committed to the well-being of our associates. We were also recently recognized by the Kansas City Chamber for being a workplace wellness certified healthy company‡ and by Cigna for their well-being award.

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