Working to Win at Worklogic HR: 

Case Study

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion 

Division of Population Health

Organization Background 

Worklogic HR

« Established in 2000

« Industry: Professional services 

(human resources outsourcing)

« Location: Bakersfield, California

« 44 Employees

CS257190B

Worklogic HR is a privately-held 

company that serves the human 

resource management needs of small 

and mid-sized firms in and around 

California. By delivering tailored 

human resource, benefit, payroll, 

safety and workers’ compensation 

business solutions—Worklogic 

HR simplifies its clients’ human 

resource management processes, 

reduces the associated costs, and 

frees up management to focus on 

core competencies and moving 

their companies forward. As an 

organization, Worklogic values 

family spirit, growth, innovation, 

accountability, an all-for-one attitude, 

and a little fun.

As a Human Resources (HR) consulting 

firm, Worklogic likes to lead by 

example and share its own successes 

with clients. It strives to be a role 

model for its clients, demonstrating 

that supporting employee health can 

improve company morale, and reduce 

health care costs and turnover.

Worklogic HR applied 

principles of implementing 

a comprehensive health 

promotion program learned 

during the NHWP by putting 

in place a combination of 

programs and environmental 

supports to address multiple 

areas of employee health

Participating in the CDC’s National Health 

Worksite Program

Before participating in the National Healthy Worksite Program 

(NHWP), Worklogic had a few initiatives and supports in place 

to promote employee health (such as an on-site gym), but the 

organization wanted to do more. Worklogic had the motivation and 

buy-in from senior leadership to implement a wellness program, 

but lacked the necessary knowledge to plan and carry out a 

comprehensive program. This need for knowledge and skill-building 

related to how to start and maintain a program. This prompted 

Worklogic to apply to the NHWP, with the hope that it could increase 

the effectiveness and scope of its health and wellness initiatives.

With support and commitment from senior management, Chrystal 

Abbott, human resources manager at Worklogic, was able to hit the 

ground running once the company was accepted into the NHWP. 

Abbott assembled a small wellness committee of volunteers from 

different Worklogic departments. One of the first NHWP activities 

Worklogic completed was a baseline assessment in 2013. The 

NHWP assessments included employee health surveys covering 

health conditions, healthy behaviors, and perceptions about the 

work environment and onsite biometric screenings. 

Like all of the employers, 

participating in the NHWP, 

Worklogic also completed 

the CDC Worksite Health 

ScoreCard, a validated 

organizational tool designed 

to help employers assess 

how they have implemented 

evidence-based health 

promotion interventions. 

To build excitement about Worklogic’s new wellness program and 

increase participation in the baseline assessment, leadership gave 

the committee $2,000 to set up a kick-off carnival shortly before the 

2013 assessment. Local farmers—several of whom are Worklogic 

clients—were invited to set up a Farmers’ Market at the kick-off. A 

catering company did a healthy cooking demonstration at the event. 
Worklogic leaders and managers even agreed to take turns in the carnival’s dunk tank. The committee also gave 

employees t-shirts and water bottles during the event.

Setting Meaningful Goals

After receiving the results of the 2013 assessments, 

the Worklogic wellness committee decided to focus 

on health behaviors that had high employee interest 

and needed improvement. They identified the areas 

of nutrition and physical activity, and set specific 

objectives for each:

• Raise the percentage of employees making 

healthy changes to their diet to 40% (from 

25% in 2013) by helping employees make 

healthier food choices at work and at home with 

increased knowledge and availability of fruits 

and vegetables.

• Reduce the percentage of employees who 

get little or no physical activity by 10%, by 

promoting the on-site gym and encouraging 

participation in fun company athletic events. 

Using a program planning tool from the NHWP, the 

committee developed a detailed plan to target 

these objectives by implementing multiple 

interventions and addressing each one. For each 

intervention strategy, the committee’s plan specified 

the following: 

• How and when it would be implemented 

(including who was responsible for each action). 

• The method(s) for communicating to employees.

• The strategy for evaluating whether it was 

implemented and how effective it was (e.g., 

level of participation, employee satisfaction). 

To help ensure the plan would be carried out, 

the committee assigned specific tasks to its 

members to distribute the workload and hold 

members accountable. Abbott, and sometimes 

other committee members, participated in all of 

the NHWP trainings and webinars that addressed 

the main developmental stages for a wellness 

program—assessment, planning, implementation, 

and evaluation. Abbott also had monthly technical 

assistance calls with CDC staff to share updates and to 

obtain advice and information resources.

The wellness committee also realized the 

importance of strategically marketing its new 

initiatives, and even created a wellness program logo 

to generate interest in the new initiatives through 

branding efforts. 

“We continue to have healthier alternatives 

available at meetings and birthday lunches. 

Employees are used to it now. It’s the new norm.”

-Chrystal Abbott, Worklogic Human 

 Resources Manager

Program Overview

Bringing Healthy Food Into the Office

To increase employees’ consumption of fruits and 

vegetables in its efforts to improve overall eating 

habits, Worklogic paid for a fruit and vegetable 

delivery service (bi-weekly deliveries for $50 each). 

Every 2 weeks employees could help themselves 

to the produce that was delivered on-site. The 

fruits and vegetables were a huge hit. Worklogic 

employees descended on the shipments as soon as 

they arrived and quickly grabbed all the produce. 

Some shipments contained fruits and vegetables 

that not all employees were familiar with. When 

this happened, the wellness committee asked 

the chef who caters Worklogic events to provide 

demonstrations on how to use or cook with that 

particular fruit or vegetable, encouraging employees 

to try new healthy foods. Because it was so popular, 

Worklogic increased the frequency of the produce 

delivery to once every week in 2015. Abbott noted 

that the new types of produce started conversations 

among employees about healthy eating and it has 

promoted cooking experimentation.

Page 2 of 6
Breaking Tradition for Healthier Options 

The Worklogic wellness committee has monthly staff 

meetings catered by a local chef. Meeting menus 

before the wellness program did not necessarily 

emphasize health. Following its own program plan 

and showing leadership, the wellness committee 

started providing healthier options during catered 

meetings. The wellness committee met with the 

chef to discuss how to incorporate healthy choice 

alternatives that employees would enjoy into the 

meeting menus. The chef was happy to modify the 

menus based on the committee’s request. 

The committee wanted to send a consistent message 

about healthy eating and applied it to a company 

tradition, the annual Halloween celebration. This 

event had traditionally been focused on candy. To 

keep the fun and dial down the sugar, the committee 

hosted a potluck lunch for Halloween, inviting 

employees to share their favorite healthy dishes. The 

committee continued having healthier alternatives 

at meetings and employee celebrations. Abbott said, 

“Employees are used to it now; it’s the new norm.”

Kern County Corporate Olympics Challenge 

The centerpiece of Worklogic’s wellness program 

is the company’s participation in the Kern County 

Corporate Challenge—an Olympic-style competition 

for local business 

teams. The 

Corporate 

Challenge was 

a great outlet 

for Worklogic 

employees’ 

competitive 

energy and 

inspired plenty 

of physical activity. Abbott provided a link to a

“Worklogic” YouTube video that illustrates the level 

of fun and effort the company put into the event. In 

2014, the first year for the Corporate Challenge, 40 

of 44 Worklogic employees participated in at least 

1 of the 16 events (e.g., dodge ball, basketball , 5k 

run, volleyball, flag football) and many employees 

participated in multiple events. Employees trained 

for their events outside of work time, demonstrating 

their commitment to the Challenge. Participants had 

a great time bonding with their coworkers and were 

motivated to practice and exercise to be at the top of 

their game. While they enjoyed competing regardless 

of the outcome, Worklogic employees were proud 

to have won first place in their division. Employees’ 

families and friends came out to watch and cheer 

the teams on, helping the Challenge encourage the 

whole Bakersfield area to become more active. 

Maintaining Momentum After the Olympics 

Worklogic employees enjoyed the Corporate 

Challenge so much that they formed a volleyball 

team after the event ended to keep the momentum 

going. Worklogic leadership showed its support 

by covering the $350 registration fee for the 17 

employees who wanted to be on the volleyball team. 

An added benefit to the physical activity for volleyball 

team members was the opportunity to network and 

socialize across organizational levels. The company’s 

operations director and one of its most senior 

salespeople were on the team, as well as some 

more-junior staff members. 

When the 2014 Corporate Challenge ended, it 

didn’t take long for employees to start thinking 

about winning in 2015. Abbott thinks that some of 

the competitors are trying to maintain their higher 

physical activity levels in the off-season so they will 

be in better shape for the summer games. A few 

months after the 2014 Corporate Challenge, Abbott 

noticed three coworkers eating salad every day for 

lunch. Two of them told her it was a change to eat 

healthy that they started during the Challenge and 

have maintained since then. The third employee had 

joined Worklogic recently, but was already fitting in 

with the healthier environment and culture.

The wellness committee encouraged employees to 

get together in a training room to do fitness DVDs 

at lunch. These sessions have drawn from 2 to 

6 employees. 

Healthy Lifestyle Challenges 

As part of its NHWP plan, Worklogic also held 

monthly healthy lifestyle challenges and initiatives. It 

promoted a healthy eating month and encouraged 

employees to make an improvement each week 

(e.g., increase water intake, reduce sugar-sweetened 

beverages, reduce alcohol consumption). In the 

spring, the company had a month-long physical 

activity challenge, in which employees tracked and 

Worklogic employees participating in 5k run.

Photo provided by Worklogic. 

Page 3 of 6
received points for different forms of exercise. One 

month the committee held a “no soda” challenge and 

made the office a soda-free zone. Abbott describes 

the first 3-4 days as difficult for employees, as they 

were getting over the absence of caffeine and sugar. 

However, a week or so into the challenge, many 

employees reported that they started feeling better. 

One employee even reported losing 15 pounds due 

to this one dietary change. Several employees shared 

testimonials at the monthly staff meeting about how 

the challenge improved their health. The wellness 

committee learned that it gets more acceptance 

and support from staff when it makes changes more 

gradually. Rather than expecting staff to give up all 

soda on the first day of the challenge, the committee 

would probably start by encouraging employees to 

cut back a little at a time.

Race to Santa Barbara Challenge

To motivate employees to be physically active, 

Worklogic developed a walking or running program 

called the Race to Santa Barbara Challenge. In this 90-

day challenge, employees were encouraged to walk 

or run 147 miles at their own pace. This is the distance 

between Worklogic’s location in Bakersfield and Santa 

Barbara, California. The committee built its challenge 

using a running app, which allowed employees to 

track their progress and sent motivational messages 

to each other through the platform. Eighteen 

employees participated and the employee who won 

the challenge finished in just a little more than 12 

days, reinforcing how competitive employees are. 

The other participants continued to walk or run the 

147 miles and used the app to send motivational text 

messages to individuals and the whole group. 

Program Success

At the end of the NHWP, Abbott said, “Worklogic’s 

committee has the tools and the ability to think 

innovatively to meet employees’ needs.” Worklogic’s 

2015 results on the CDC Worksite Health ScoreCard 

nearly doubled from its score in 2013. Worklogic 

increased Its total ScoreCard score from 78 to 144 out 

of a possible 264 points. Worklogic’s Health ScoreCard 

indicates the company has implemented evidencebased interventions and increased its scores for its 

main goal areas of nutrition and physical activity. 

Some examples of the evidence-based strategies 

Worklogic received points for in its 2015 ScoreCard 

that it did not have in place in 2013, included 

the following: 

• Offering and promoting an on-site or nearby 

farmers’ market where fresh fruits and 

vegetables are sold.

• Providing organized physical activity programs 

for employees.

• Offering lifestyle counseling for employees who 

are overweight or obese.

• Providing workshops and classes on weight 

management. 

• Training managers to identify and reduce 

workplace stressors.

• Offering free blood pressure screening, 

cholesterol screening, and body composition 

measurements, followed by directed feedback 

and clinical referrals when necessary.

Worklogic increased its score for the Organizational 

Supports module, which assesses the extent to 

which organizations have a foundation and an 

infrastructure in place to support and maintain a 

workplace health-promotion program. Worklogic’s 

2015 ScoreCard reflected that it now has a health 

promotion committee, offers health risk assessments, 

uses competitions to support employees’ behavior 

changes, provides flexible work-scheduling options, 

has an annual health promotion budget, and 

sets annual organizational objectives for health 

promotion while maintaining the strong leadership 

support it has had all along. 

The Worklogic HR team bonds over bowling at the Kern County Corporate Challenge.

Photo provided by Worklogic. 

Page 4 of 6
0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Organizational Supports

Nutrition

Physical Activity

Weight Management

Stress Management

2015 Score 2013 Score

In 2013, 33 employees completed the health 

assessments. Again in 2015, 33 employees completed 

the assessments, although only 16 of those had 

been originally assessed in 2013, because of some 

turnover. The assessment data related to the wellness 

issues that Worklogic focused on are summarized in 

the following tables. 

Directly related to the organization’s health 

promotion goals, the percentage of Worklogic 

employees eating at least 5 daily servings of fruits and 

vegetables was higher in 2015 (12%) compared with 

2013 (9%). The percentage of employees engaging 

in little or no physical activity was lower—moving 

from 64% in 2013 to 46% in 2015. One-third of 

Worklogic employees in 2015 indicated that they 

had either started making healthy eating changes 

or were maintaining healthy changes. Among the 

16 employees who took both the 2013 and 2015 

assessments, fruit and vegetable consumption and 

physical activity levels were also higher in 2015 

compared with 2013. 

Most employees (81%) agreed that they support the 

environmental changes that create a safe and healthy 

culture at Worklogic, as well as changes in policies 

as a result of Worklogic’s healthy worksite program. 

The majority of employees (78%) who completed the 

2015 assessment agreed that they were well informed 

about the health and wellness opportunities at 

Worklogic and 59% agreed that the worksite health 

program adds value to their job. The wellness 

committee is continuing to encourage employee 

participation in the various wellness initiatives, 

and employees are continuing to eat healthier and 

engage in more physical activity. It often takes 

longer to effect certain outcomes, such as weight 

loss—but if Worklogic continues its commitment to 

promoting employee well-being, they are likely to see 

improvements in more areas in the coming years. 

2013 Employee Health Issues and Lifestyle Risks Profile

(Employees=33)

Self-Reported Health Assessment Survey

Eat at least 5 daily servings of fruits and 

vegetables

9%

Engage in little or no physical activity 64%

Current smoker 27%

Biometric Screening

Overweight (Body mass index 25.0 – 29.9) 39%

Obese (Body mass index > 30) 21%

2015 Employee Health Issues and Lifestyle Risks Profile

(Employees=33)*

Self-Reported Health Assessment Survey

Eat at least 5 daily servings of fruits and 

vegetables

12%

Engage in little or no physical activity 46%

Current smoker 21%

Biometric Screening

Overweight (Body mass index 25.0 – 29.9) 30%

Obese (Body mass index > 30) 33%

*Percentages include all employees who provided data in 2015, including 

those who did not complete the 2013 assessments.

CDC Worksite Health ScoreCard Overall Score 

in Wellness Programming 2013-2015

The Worklogic HR flag football team at the Kern County Corporate Challenge.

Photo provided by Worklogic. 

Page 5 of 6
Abbott said one of the biggest benefits to Worklogic 

from participating in the NHWP was that, “It has 

made us more aware of a lot of different things. After 

starting with the NHWP, we did things that fit 

our people.”

Challenges

As is the case for most companies, Worklogic found 

it challenging to maintain employee motivation and 

participation throughout the year. For instance, when 

the school year started in the fall, employees with 

children became much busier, making it difficult for 

them to fit as much physical activity into their regular 

schedules. Also, Worklogic implemented a number 

of different physical activity offerings, and while this 

was beneficial in certain ways (i.e., could appeal to 

more employees by catering to different needs and 

interests), it also made it difficult to keep engagement 

up across the different activities. To address this, the 

wellness committee is striving to strike a balance 

between offering a wide variety of programs and 

focusing on a few key initiatives that are likely to have 

the most effect. 

What’s Next? 

Worklogic plans to continue building upon the healthy changes it has made in the work environment and 

encouraging employees to adopt healthy habits. Some of the initiatives it plans for the next year, in addition to 

winning big at the Kern County Corporate Challenges, include the following:

• Organize another race-to-a-destination challenge. Possibilities include a Race to San Diego (238 miles) or 

Race to San Francisco (283 miles).

• Purchase pedometers for staff.

• Sponsor a kick-ball team, and possibly other sports teams, through the community parks department.

The National Healthy Worksite Program was designed to help employers put into action 

science- and practice-based disease-prevention and wellness strategies that would lead 

to specific measurable health outcomes to reduce chronic disease rates. From 2013-2015, 

each participating employer received support, training, and technical assistance to put 

in place a combination of program, policy, and environmental interventions to support 

physical activity, good nutrition, and tobacco-use cessation.

Page 6 of 6