Alera Group Partners with Blue Zones to Launch Workplace Well-Being Pilot Program

Deerfield, IL – August 5th, 2024  – Alera Group, a top national insurance and financial services firm, today announced a collaboration with Blue Zones, LLC to pilot an innovative employee well-being initiative, and to design a robust and transformational employee benefits framework that aims to improve employee health and lower healthcare costs. This two-part pilot program draws from the Blue Zones® project, which identifies global longevity hotspots and promotes sustainable lifestyle practices emanating from these regions of the world.

The pilot program aims to cultivate a culture of well-being among employees, leveraging evidence-based strategies to enhance health and happiness. The first component of the pilot is the Blue Zones Challenge™, an app designed to encourage participants to change their environment and adopt healthy habits. The Blue Zones Challenge™ app is based on the extensive work of Blue Zones, LLC and its founder Dan Buettner, an ongoing research project that identifies and researches the blue zones – rare longevity hotspots around the world where people live the longest, healthiest lives. The app combines ancient wisdom with modern technology to empower users to adopt the daily lifestyle habits of people in these extraordinary cultures.

Key features of the Blue Zones Challenge™ app include:

• Eating wisely: embrace nutritious recipes inspired by culinary traditions in the world’s blue zones regions.
• Moving naturally: incorporate more physical activity into daily routines without the need for a gym.
• Social connections: strengthen relationships with family, friends, and colleagues.
• Downshift: Learn techniques to manage stress and boost happiness.

The pilot program will initially launch internally to a select group of Alera Group colleagues and clients. Feedback and results will be used to determine ways of refining and tailoring the initiative’s effectiveness. This phase will explore the program’s impact on employee health and productivity before potential broader implementation.

The second component of the pilot is a collaboration between Blue Zones and Alera Group on how Blue Zones principles can be integrated into a broader employee benefit offering, including Alera Group’s unique Advanced Healthcare Strategies portfolio. 

“We are proud to lead the charge in integrating proven well-being strategies into corporate culture,” said Sally Prather, Executive Vice President and Employee Benefits Practice Leader at Alera Group. “This collaboration with Blue Zones allows us to explore new innovative offerings while also refining our approach for broader adoption. We are pleased to take this proven concept into the workplace to create healthier, more productive employees.”

Ben Leedle, CEO of Blue Zones said, “We are looking forward to continued partnership with Alera Group as we work together to create innovative solutions that enhance well-being at the organizational level. By combining our expertise in improving well-being at the population level with Alera Group’s commitment to employee benefits and wellness, we look forward to making a significant impact on the health and happiness of employees nationwide.”

For more information about how Blue Zones principles can be adopted by employers, please download Alera Group’s recent podcast, “The Blue Zones Hype & Your Health Plan – Employer Strategies for Better Outcomes” hosted by Vital Incite, an Alera Group Company. 

About Alera Group      

Alera Group is an independent financial services firm with more than $1.3 billion in gross revenue, offering comprehensive property and casualty insurance, employee benefits, wealth services and retirement plan solutions to clients nationwide. Working collaboratively across specialties and across the country, Alera Group’s team of more than 4,200 colleagues offer unique solutions, personalized services and proactive insights to help ensure each client’s business and personal success. For more information, visit aleragroup.com and follow us on LinkedIn. 

About Blue Zones®

Blue Zones employs evidence-based ways to help people live better, longer. The company's work is rooted in explorations and research done by National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner, who identified the blue zones regions around the world where people live extraordinarily long and happy lives. The original research and findings were released in Buettner's bestselling books The Blue Zones Solution, The Blue Zones of Happiness, The Blue Zones, Thrive, and Blue Zones Kitchen—all published by National Geographic books. Using original Blue Zones research, Blue Zones Project® works with cities to make healthy choices easier through permanent and semi-permanent changes to a city's human-made surroundings. Participating communities have experienced double digit drops in obesity and tobacco use and have saved millions of dollars in healthcare costs. Currently, 60 communities across North America have joined Blue Zones Project, impacting more than 4 million Americans nationwide. For more information, visit bluezones.com.