Lund Food Holdings and Hy-Vee Receive FMI’s 2010 Maximizing People Potential Award for Innovative Human Resource and Training Programs

ARLINGTON, VA -- The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) presented the 2010 Maximizing People Potential Award (MAXX Award) to Lund Food Holdings Inc., Edina, MN and Hy-Vee, Inc., West Des Moines, IA. The award recognizes companies that have invested in the growth and development of their employees and positively impacted their bottom line through human resource programs and training. The companies were honored at the FMI Human Resources/Training Development Conference held last week in Baltimore.

Lund Food Holdings Inc.

Lund earned the award in the category for companies with up to 4,000 employees for their Dispute Resolution Process. They developed a program to address unresolved disputes which could affect productivity and profitability and could also diminish the work experience, harm morale and foster distrust.

The process allows an employee who has received a final written warning, suspension or termination notice to present their case to a panel of peers for additional review. A total of 19 cases have been heard through the Dispute Resolution Process. The company found that employees appreciate having a group of peers listen to their side of the story in a timely fashion, while the members of the panel gain experience building a critical thinking skill set.

The company estimates that the average case that goes to mediation costs them close to $1,200 based on hours needed to investigate, document and interview. The dispute resolution panel requires fewer hours of preparation and averages approximately $360 per case. As a result, the dispute resolution process has resulted in a cost savings of more than $13,000 for the company year to date.

Hy-Vee, Inc.

Hy-Vee was recognized in the category for companies with more than 4,000 employees for their Healthy Lifestyles Program. The program was developed to make Hy-Vee the healthiest company in America by encouraging employees to become engaged in managing their health and by offering rewards for active participation.

To participate in the program, employees must complete three requirements each year: a biometric screening, an online Personal Health Assessment and the completion of two lifestyle health-related activities. The screenings and preventative examinations help identify employees who are at high risk for certain diseases. As a result of better controlled disease states and early detection, the company reported that inpatient admissions for disease management participants decreased by 47 percent in 2009 compared to the previous year.

Since the introduction of the program in 2008, Hy-Vee has been able to better control corporate and participant insurance costs, improve the health status of their employees and continue to assist employees in making their lives easier, healthier and happier.

Runners-Up for the 2010 Maxx Award were:

Semi-finalists are selected for each category based on program and learning objectives, originality, alignment with company goals and return on investment. They provide a 20-minute presentation to an initial judging panel at the FMI Human Resources Training & Development Conference. Two finalists from each category are then selected to present to the conference attendees, who vote and select a winner from each category.