PartnerWell: Chase Sterling, Managing Consultant
Each issue, we’ll feature one of TPG’s business divisions to gain a high-level view of their work. This quarter, we spoke with Chase Sterling about how the PartnerWell team is building its organizational wellbeing programming.
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Chase Sterling is in demand, with opportunities for authorships, speaking opportunities, and consulting, not to mention her day-to-day client work with TPG. As an expert in workplace wellness, she is one of few in the nation who understands how benefits and wellbeing work together. “We’re not silo’ed,” Sterling explains. “All of it comes together – HR, wellbeing, DEI – using comprehensive strategy based on data.”
Let’s take a step back for a quick look at Sterling’s 20-year career to date: She earned her master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology with an undergraduate degree in exercise science. As a certified wellness practitioner (CWP), she is on the faculty of the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA), sits on the work group at the Physical Activity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (PAPREN), and is on the Advisory Committee for Physical Education and Exercise Science at Portland Community College. Sterling is a published expert, most recently co-authoring an article in the American Journal of Health Promotion titled, “Physical Activity Promotion in the Evolving Work Landscape.” She also founded the Wellbeing Think Tank, which provides events and seminars on workplace wellbeing, many of which are hosted by The Partners Group. Experts from Gallup, the Alliance for Weight Inclusive Health, the CDC Foundation, and multiple PhD researchers collaborate with her to present the latest in workplace wellness for our communities. Oh, and Sterling is a US Army veteran, having honorably served for seven years. [It should also be noted that these are just a few of her many professional accomplishments.]
So, back to “being busy” as the managing consultant of TPG’s PartnerWell division, founded in 2020. “TPG took a risk [on me], because I do things differently,” Sterling says. “Leadership supports our staff in allowing people to be experts and trusting that expertise. The end result is that we have more and more clients signing up for PartnerWell’s employee engagement and wellbeing programs.”
A significant workplace impact of COVID-19 was that it showed employers from all industries that they have to approach employee wellbeing in a different way. “Organizational wellbeing is a priority and provides protection in a downturn. Companies that recognized this prior to the pandemic are still thriving.” Those who are now experiencing low employee engagement, burnout, defection, low client retention, and more are turning to resources like PartnerWell to help turn the ship around.
Of course, there are challenges. For example, many people are passionate about health and wellness, which is great. However, says Sterling, “There are now ‘burnout specialists’ and influencers and motivational speakers with lots of heart, but no formal training. They have lots of sparkle, but little substance. PartnerWell brings the sparkle plus the vigorous, data-backed organizational wellbeing plans.” The team uses evidence-based organizational and health-population data to customize strategic solutions and implementation plans for our clients. And it works. Sterling welcomes your call or email to discuss how and why.
And that leads us to PartnerWell’s goals for the year (and beyond) – first and foremost: bringing more clients on board. “We can and will make successful companies more successful by helping them reach their employee engagement goals as well as equity and inclusion goals.” Sterling recently welcomed Jenna Rudolph to the team as a wellbeing coordinator to help with the projected uptick in client services.
Another goal currently in the pilot stage is a turnkey wellness plan for clients who need someone else to run the program. “If you don’t have the time or staffing resources, we can implement and execute the employee wellness program for you. This pilot plan rolled out in 2022 and we’re continuing development on it before offering it as a turnkey solution.”
In conclusion, TPG has a set of five core values on which all its decisions are based – one would assume that our value to “Have Fun and Live Well” would ring most true for a wellbeing expert. But Sterling goes in another direction. “I think my favorite TPG core value is ‘Be Curious.’ I am a lifelong learner and am always planning on attending a new training or conference. I truly love to collaborate and like to say ‘more brains are better’ because I think greatness occurs when you can bring multiple perspectives together. This particular core value of curiosity shows up most for me, as we are always ahead of trends and stay up to date on the latest research on workplaces.”
To consult with Sterling and her team about organizational wellness, data-backed strategies, or staying ahead of workplace wellness trends, contact partnerwell@tpgrp.com.
