Allstate Employees Set For A Walkabout

Allstate said approximately 2,000 employees at its headquarters in Northbrook, Ill., will take a hike tomorrow. No, they're not quitting.

Their pedestrian efforts have been organized by the company to kick off a 28-day “Walk to Wellness” campaign, it was announced.

According to the insurer, “it will be a day of changing mindsets” when workers at the main office join Allstate President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Wilson for a 2-mile fitness walk.

“I believe strongly in caring for the health and well-being of our people,” explained Mr. Wilson in a statement. “We want our employees to have more energy for their jobs, their friends and their family. At Allstate we work hard every day to help our customers protect and invest in the things they value. Through our employee wellness program we are protecting and investing in our most valuable resource–our people.”

The intent of the “Walk to Wellness” campaign, it was explained, is to promote daily walking as an accessible and effective form of exercise that improves health and quality of life. Allstate participants enroll via a dedicated Web site, which allows them to log their daily progress in steps or minutes and to receive motivational messages throughout the campaign.

Allstate said its “Walk to Wellness” campaign is part of a larger “Well & Fit at Allstate” program featuring Mayo Clinic health resources that the company introduced earlier in the year.

The “Well & Fit” initiative launched with an invitation for employees to benchmark their current wellness via the Mayo Clinic Health Risk Assessment.

Nearly half of Allstate's workforce of more than 35,000 employees participated in the evaluation. Since then, the company said, Allstate employees–from customer service professionals to claim adjusters–have been supporting each other in their quest to improve health through exercise, better eating habits and stress management.