(Memphis, Tenn. /June 7, 2013) Baker Donelson has the winning individual team and is the winning company in a city-wide weight loss competition.
As part of the Memphis HealthyWage challenge, 47 teams from across the city participated in a three-month program to see which five-person team and which company could achieve the highest percentage weight loss. The winning team, which called themselves "Baker Bombshells," had a total weight loss of 10.40%. The team will be awarded a prize of $10,000, or $2,000 per team member.
"Baker Bombshells" was one of four Baker Donelson teams to participate in the competition. Another of the Firm's teams placed fourth in the city, with 9.21% weight loss. With a combined total of 379 pounds lost by all Baker Donelson teams, the Firm had an average weight loss of 8.68%, which was the highest amount of all employers in the competition, earning Baker Donelson the status of the city-wide corporate winner. And all four of the Firm's teams finished in the top third of the competition.
The competition was conducted by HealthyWage, an organization that promotes workplace weight loss through challenges and contests across the country in which participants can win money for losing weight.
Baker Donelson participated in the competition as part of its BakerFit program, a firm-wide initiative focused on promoting the personal wellness of all Baker Donelson employees. Through BakerFit, the Firm offers opportunities and incentives for employees to get healthy, such as "Recess at Work" days, during which employees are encouraged to bring workout gear to the office and exercise with co-workers, and a "March Madness" themed exercise challenge in which each of the Firm's 18 offices formed teams to compete to be the team with the highest total of minutes spent exercising over a six-week period.
"This competition was a great experience for our employees, and we're extremely proud of the commitment all our teams made to the HealthyWage challenge," said Alan McKiernon, Human Resources Manager at Baker Donelson. "This is just one example of our Firm's commitment to the health and well-being of all of our employees. These types of programs are a big part of why Baker Donelson is consistently recognized as an exceptional workplace by listings such as FORTUNE's '100 Best Companies to Work For.' And having the enthusiastic support of our management team led by CEO Ben Adams helps make them fun and easy to do."