FIT WORKER, HEALTHY PROFIT COMPANIES NUDGE EMPLOYEES TO TRY TREADMILLS, DIETS.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

Jeffrey Smith runs more than a marathon a week - at the office.

The corporate affairs executive dons his running shoes at lunch and saunters down the hall to a corporate gymnasium where he takes an hourlong trot on the treadmill, five days a week.

``It's cathartic,'' said Smith, 52, whose 6-foot-3 frame is usually parked behind a desk doing crisis communications at Honda's North American headquarters in Torrance.

The treadmills have been churning for Smith and his colleagues at the automaker's gym for decades. And Honda's Japanese work ethic, which includes well-being of the body and bottom line, is catching on at companies throughout Southern California.

Due to rising health care costs and workers' comp rates, management at Parsons Corp., Amgen Inc., NBC Universal and other companies - even universities - are encouraging employees to take better care of themselves, according to Daniel Mitchell, a human resources professor at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

``But it also could be part of a more general corporate approach like Japanese firms telling their employees to get up and sing the corporate song,'' said Mitchell, who did a stint as a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

Of Honda's more than 3,000 employees in Torrance, nearly a third sign up for the $25-a-year gym membership. The Honda facility also has basketball and racquetball courts, a soccer field, a softball diamond and beach volleyball pits.

``This is how we do things,'' said Smith, who also noted that the company has blood pressure monitoring stations set up throughout campus.

In 2001, the International Labour Organization released a paper titled ``Barefoot Economics'' that says a worker's well-being is ``an integral part of the economic sustainability and organizational development of enterprises.''

Parsons, an engineering firm based in Pasadena, is testing that theory. In January, the company rolled out a program called Wellness for Life in which employees can sign up for an online health assessment test and receive a $50 check in return. If the assessment spells trouble and the employee attempts to improve their score, Parsons will knock off $30 a month on the employee's health insurance premium.

The program also provides 24-hour telephone access to a registered nurse, while another service connects employees to mental-health professionals.

So far, more than half of Parsons' 11,000 employees have participated in the health assessment test, and those who don't are forced to pay higher premiums to absorb the program's cost of $700,000.

``If we had 100 percent compliance, we'd foot the bill,'' said Jim Granata, corporate manager of employee benefits at Parsons. ``But the only way we can envision slowing down the cost of health care is to not incur them in the first place.''

But cost-cutting measures and a shaky economy have influenced many in the public and private sectors to keep health care programs on pause. And in some cases, employees have banded together to create their own version of well-being at the workplace.

At the California State University, San Bernardino, 30 faculty members recently pooled about $150 for a 13-week Weight Watchers program. The fee enables faculty members to meet a representative from the diet company once a week for ``weigh-ins'' and consultation about eating habits. Despite the fee, Grace Fry-Garcia, a participant and an administrative coordinator, said the school was more than happy to provide the space for their meetings.

``And the program is great for people with busy schedules because we are able to use our one-hour lunch break to meet on campus,'' said Garcia, 28, who has lost about 50 pounds since her first Weight Watchers session a year ago.

Garcia is hopeful she and her colleagues can keep the program afloat. If fewer than 16 people participate, the group will no longer be able to meet on campus for free.

Three years ago, Amgen put the finishing touches on a 266,000-square- foot headquarters in Thousand Oaks that oozes well-being.

The building is equipped with a full-service gym, including whirlpool baths and yoga and spinning classes. And after working out, a smoothie bar awaits with fresh turkey sandwiches and tuna rolls at the Marketplace Cafe.

Catering to employees' well-being isn't new to the corporate world. It is the employees' needs that have changed. Most notably, in the 1920s, companies had welfare programs, clubhouses, English lessons, libraries and picnics, Mitchell said.

But more than eight decades later, it is in the best interest of companies to keep their employees healthy, instead of well-fed and literate. That's why NBC Universal has ``employee of choice'' workers whose primary job is to enhance employee well-being.

``Employees are expecting more flexibility from their employers, and the company is willing to help. But we are also asking employees to work smarter,'' said Beth Huston, an employer of choice at NBC Universal in Universal City.

Among the programs offered at the network studio is Health By Numbers, an incentive-based program that requires employees to meet certain goals. It includes a daily diet of five fruits or vegetables, no tobacco, a body mass index of below 25, and at least 10,000 steps, whether obtained by walking or running. The company issues pedometers to make sure employees are not fudging on their performance.

NBC also offers a massage program and lactation services for the recently pregnant.

``And for employees returning to work after pregnancy, we kick in a free pump,'' Huston said.

Evan Pondel, [phone]

evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Following a Japanese work ethic that emphasizes health, Honda offers a multitude of gym options to its Torrance workers, from aerobics to soccer.

(2 -- color) A mid-day body sculpting class at the Honda North America headquarters in Torrance is packed on a Thursday.

(3) Honda workers take a lunchtime jog around the company's Torrance campus - an activity the carmaker encourages.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News