The Breakers expands wellness programs for employees
The island’s largest employer has expanded its employee wellness programs, adding mental health and parenting initiatives.
The Breakers, which employs 2,200 people, also has launched a wellness initiative tailored to “team members of color.”
It’s all part of what Denise Bober, senior vice president of human resources, told the Daily News is “paramount” to the resort's success “fostering a culture focused on inclusivity, quality of life, and team-member fulfillment and well-being.”
The Breakers: Five things you may not know about the Palm Beach resort
Employee-wellness programs around the country vary significantly and often include gratis meditation or yoga classes and in-depth health seminars.
The Breakers celebrates 126 years: Breakers to mark its 126th birthday with food, drink deals
Palm Beach hotel prices increase: Hotel rooms at The Breakers and in Palm Beach filled up quickly with guests, even as rates climb
And, while the pandemic has prompted many companies to expand wellness programs, The Breakers has done so for years, evolving from such areas as fitness and nutrition to more comprehensive offerings.
In addition, Breakers officials said, the resort has an onsite Wellness Clinic for staff members.
With a nurse practitioner and registered nurse, the clinic — operated by Premier, a health/wellness medicine practice with offices in Wellington — provides wellness coaching, flu vaccines and screenings.
The Breakers focus on employee wellness “is extraordinary” and reflects its being “a standard-bearer of innovation,” Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce CEO Laurel Baker told the Daily News.
The hotel wellness program for team members of color began with a pilot completed in March, in which 26 employees volunteered to participate.
An outgrowth of an internal 2019 diversity study, the program is for members of staff “who have traditionally shown lower engagement levels” in the hotel’s wellness programs, Bober said.
The three-month program is led by Dr. Nicola Finley, an integrative-medicine physician of Jamaican heritage who practices in Arizona and Florida, Breakers officials said.
The program features an initial, confidential biometric screening at the resort’s clinic, plus in-person and virtual one-and-one consultations and group discussions of such topics as nutrition, mental health, exercise and sleep.
The biometric screening is a short health exam that includes bloodwork and taking physical measurements, such as height, weight and waist circumference. That's followed up by a private consultation with Finley, who then customizes a wellness plan.
Condé Nast Traveler highlights Palm Beach: Four island spots get nod from Condé Nast readers
Among the program’s participants, housekeeping manager Hewen Brown said in a news release that Finley gave him a “personalized wellness plan” and shared health information in “an easy and fun way.”
Another wellness program at The Breakers is the mental-health initiative, which was expanded in October, moving from a managers-only initiative to one that’s open to all staff.
Since then, 335 non-manager employees have voluntarily completed Mental Health Is Everyone’s Business, which was developed in partnership with the West Palm Beach-based Ferd and Gladys Alpert Jewish Family Service, a nonprofit, non-sectarian organization.
The virtual-training course aims to reduce the stigma around mental-health challenges and highlight the importance of mental wellbeing. The course grew out of a managers’ program — Mental Health First Aid — begun four years ago, also in partnership with the Alpert JFS.
Through that program, 400 Breakers managers have learned how to identify and extend initial assistance to individuals who show signs of mental-health problems.
Meanwhile, a parenting wellness program at the hotel has grown to include 97 participants since its November 2020 launch.
New and experienced parents share personal stories, challenges, advice and referrals as part of Parent’s Corner.
“Our team members enjoy this program because they can speak openly, hear insight that’s relatable and receive positive parenting solutions,” The Breakers’ director of team member development, Pat Ciavola, said. “There’s nothing more powerful than being able to confide in a group and share experiences in an environment of trust."
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: The Breakers expands mental health, parenting programs for workers
